Project Jaeger
by Trombe
Summary: "There are things you can't fight, acts of God. You see a hurricane coming, you have to get out of the way. But when you're in a Jaeger, suddenly, you can fight the hurricane. You can win. " A Pacific Rim inspired story in RWBY.
1. Prologue

**Author's note:**

 **So I've been toying with this idea. It's pretty much just RWBY but the Grimm are gigantic Kaiju like beasts and huntsman and huntresses are pilots of gigantic mechs called Jaegers. Pretty much pacific rim in RWBY essentially.**

 **Once again I do now own the rights to these franchises so please don't sue.**

* * *

 **Project Jaeger**

 **Prologue**

* * *

"Hey Miss Arc?"

Her intercom buzzed away as she still continued to tap away at the keys.

"Miss Arc?"

She was almost at a breakthrough. The story was practically writing itself! All she had to do was listen for the words and jot them down. Her mom always did say out of all her children she was the best listener.

"Marie!"

Oh for the love of…

"Erik, I'm in the middle of a breakthrough story here! Can't this wait?!" The twenty eight year old reporter grimaced in frustration. The tagline on her computer screen blinked ' _The Schnee Company, Can They Be Trusted?!'_

"... Look I get burning the midnight oil and everything, and I'd really hate to disturb you but you've got a visitor," the security guard replied.

 _A visitor?_

Marie Arc glanced on the kinetic clock her coworkers had given her for her birthday. _Thanks for nothing, Cynthia_. It read 10:12 PM.

"Erik it's close to fifteen minutes after ten." Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she rubbed her temple.

"That's what I told him Ma'am."

"And?"

It couldn't be anyone she knew. Out of all her sisters Marie was never the socialite. Her work required her to work behind the scenes, to tell the stories of people, not be the story itself.

That was the journalist's rule number one.

"He says he insist."

"Look if he says his name is Kalvin tell him that was a one time thing. He knew that, I knew that. We're both moving on."

"I don't think-"

"Is it my landlord? Because I totally paid everything in full for the last six months now I mean what does a girl gotta do to-"

"... Please Miss Arc just a moment of your time."

Instantly she recognized that voice.

And already she would have prefered Kalvin. At least she knew how she felt about the guy.

She laid back casually against her swivel chair, her messy blonde hair adorning the leather headrest, carefully assessing her feelings. She wanted to take a smoke.

Smoking always calmed her nerves and helped her think, but she had been clean for about three months and now and she promised to keep it that way. And Arcs always keep their words.

 _Damn it._

 _Stupid smoke-hating sisters._

 _Stupid Arc tradition._

Erik's familiar voice came back on. "Miss Arc?" She must have been silent for some time now.

"...Send him up, Erik." She sighed, hoping she wouldn't regret the decision.

"Thank you, Marie."

 _Don't thank me yet._

Her thoughts were going a million miles a minute, trying to figure out the words to speak with the man. She turned to stare at a framed article above her desk, one of the very first stories she had ever published. The headline read " **Hero Twins Save the Day! Crushes the Grimm**!" while the image of two smiling faces, blonde and blue eyed, looked at her with assuring grins that said "Everything was going to be okay. We're here now."

 _You have a lot to answer for, Professor Ozpin._

* * *

"Tea?" she offered.

Marie was never one for entertaining guests but she heard it was the polite thing to do.

"No, but thank you." The gentleman who sat in front of her smiled.

"Oh thank God," she sighed in relief. "I don't have any, and frankly I can't stand the stuff." She was quick to point to her prefered beverage as the pot was just freshly brewed. "I do have some coffee."

"...Now that I will take you up on, Miss Arc, for it is the nectre of the gods."

Now there was something unexpected. In all of the interviews she had read about the man no where near did any of them has stated that Ozpin was a coffee lover.

She poured him a cup.

"How do you want it?" She asked curiously.

"Black is fine. I don't want to dilute the taste. You can tell who knows their coffee by smelling it's base form." The older man smiled warmly as he pulled up the mug up to his nose, taking a slight whiff in the process. "And you my dear, know your coffee quite well."

"Thank you." Truthfully she cared little about his opinion on her taste in coffees but it was good to know she could serve a decent coffee cup. "Congratulations on the win, by the way, Professor." She pulled up an article online and spun her monitor for her guest to see. "Malorie wrote a very convincing piece on you and the general. The girl might be new but she has some talent. In any case I'm sure keeping the Jaeger program alive must be a wonderful victory for you."

"It's a victory for all of us, Miss Arc. The Jaeger program works. It keeps the Grimm out."

"I'm sure." She wasn't going to argue with him on that but her patience for small talk was hitting its limit.

"Now what you brings you here to my office, Professor? I mean let's cut the bullshit, okay? I'm pretty sure it wasn't my amazing coffee brewing skills that brought you here at 10:15 in the evening."

The gray haired man once again politely smiled. She hated that. Despite being over the age of forty, Ozpin didn't look a day past his late twenties. His gray hair might have given his age away but he still held a roguishly handsome face, his youth further accented by the boyish grin.

Handsome men always made Marie leary.

Handsome faces often hid ugly truths.

"Bold and frank. The stories are true about you, Miss Arc."

"Marie's fine. Miss Arc is my older sister, Joan," she corrected. "Besides in my line of work, Professor, it helps to be blunt. No one wants to tell the truth so they butter things up and cover the story by adding in more unnecessary detail. It's my job to cut out the unnecessary fat so I can show people the meat of the story, the things that matter most."

"An excellent viewpoint for a journalist."

"The _only_ viewpoint for a journalist." Her hazel eyes met his intelligent but tired brown ones. "So… I'm going to ask again. What can I do for you, Professor Ozpin?"

"How is he?" He asked simply, the tone in his voice was like that of one inquiring about an old friend.

Somehow she knew her brother was going to be brought up. "He's doing okay, I guess. Better now that he is away from your clutches."

The elder gentleman raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, sorry those were my sister, Olivia's words." _Maybe a little bit of mine._

"Marie, I _am_ terribly sorry for the loss your family has been through…"

"Are you? Are you really, Professor?"

She doubted him, even of this simple sincerity. The genius mind behind the Jaeger program was never known to be an affectionate man. She had difficulty in believing he could feel empathy, or anything for that matter.

"Marie… I'm not going to pretend I know how much pain your family is in. And as selfish as it may be I pray I never have to. But what your brother and sister did… truly it was one of the most heroic moments I have ever cared to witness. They're heroes."

Marie thought her inquisitive nature would be enough to let it slide, but she found she cared more about the subject than she initially thought, as her fists started trembling.

Rule number two of being a journalist was never to get close to the story.

Yet how could she not?

The man was talking as if HE had been the one who had made the sacrifice.

"Oh yes, I know all about heroes. I printed the story remember?" She angrily opened her desk and flopped down a worn and used article. The bold words read **Fallen Angel of Vale 'Crocea Mors' Battles Valiantly Against Grimm Ambush** while the photograph showed a badly damaged white and gold tinted mechanized titan lying down against the cold snow. It was missing a limb and the head piece had almost come clean off. They were signs of a major battle for the Jaeger.

For her the article was an old wound, one she had thought she was finally getting over.

"The world got its heroes… but all we wanted was our brother and sister back." She said bitterly, surprised at how emotional she was getting.

The professor had no words for her. She knew she was just being vindictive and it was unbecoming of her as an unbiased journalist but feelings ran deep.

"They should never have been alone for that mission. Despite that, Jaune and Louise saved everyone's lives that day." She repeated. "But my brother has never been the same since and Louise… " She had to pause. "...Do you know what it's like to bury your younger sister?"

God damn it, she could _really_ use a smoke. She didn't know how much more she could take before her eyes became teary.

The older man adjusted the glasses on his face as he gave a sympathetic look before slowly standing up. "I'm so sorry. This was a mistake."

 _This whole world is a mistake. What kind of god allows gigantic monsters to exist?_

"No…" Marie held in her grief, for it all had already come to pass. No used crying over spilled milk. "No I'm projecting here. It's not everyday you meet people from a forgotten past. You came to me for a reason and here I am just raving at you like you're the only bad guy in this place. So please… sit."

He looked at her for a moment, unsure of what to do at first, but eventually found himself sitting down nonetheless.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me." The intrepid reporter blew an irritating bang that fell out of place. "Thank my parents for raising us Arcs with sickeningly sweet manners." She beckoned with her hand. "Alright, let's hear it."

"I won't beat around the bush than, Marie. I need to know where your brother is."

"Jaune? Why would-"

It only took her a second to placed two and two together. The revived Jaeger program. Her survivor of a brother.

Of course they wanted him.

"...You know he'll never pilot for you again, right? My brother is done."

"With all due respect, Marie, I want to hear Jaune say it himself."

The balls on this man…

Well if he was going to be stubborn about it.

She sighed as she reluctantly wrote down an address for him. "It's your funeral, Oz."

* * *

"Jaune!"

"Gah!" He shot himself awake as he tumbled down from his mattress. The room was dim except for the hallway lights illuminating from the cracks of his door. The blaring sound of his alarm played on like one like a broken dying record, the time reading 5:12 AM.

"Guhhhh… But It's so early…" he murmured.

"No buts, lazy bones. The day is starting. Get up and have breakfast and then come help set up the shop. We've got a busy day ahead of us," his sister Olivia announced their schedule for the day.

At twenty two years old Jaune felt like a bum living off of his older sister's place but it was marginally better than going back home. What had been supposed to be temporary ended up being a little bit more permanent for Jaune as he liked Olivia's no nonsense attitude and hands off approach from his other sisters. The only thing she had asked of him was the occasional help he provided for her shop. Which was convenient for both of them since he lived literally on the top floor of the store.

The aromas of baked goodness filled and scented the air, causing Jaune's stomach to grumble. "Hmm… Fresh bagels…"

The woman may be one of the toughest gals he'd ever known in life but damn could Olivia bake like no other. It was as if she was put on Remnant to be the goddess of muffins and baguettes.

Well time was a wasting. He turned on his lights and made due with his typical morning routine. A cold shower, brushing his teeth, slight grooming wherever needed, some random shirt and top it all off with his favorite jacket and jeans. He took once last look in the mirror for a final glance before being satisfied, however a gleaming object that hung by his bookcase caught his attention. Darn old thing was shining against the bathroom light.

He took two steps forward, his fingers already reaching out for it.

It was small and tiny in his hands but it held so much weight.

The medal of valor.

Such a cheap trinket… but something he would have been proud of had it not been for the price he paid.

"No… no, We're not thinking about that again." He was over it - it had been four years since than, which was more than enough time to grieve and come to terms.

He had no idea what possessed him to leave such a trinket out but Jaune was quick to put it back into a drawer.

It was best kept inside a drawer, secret and forgotten.

Like that part of his life.

Now…

Now… he was Jaune Arc.

Baker's apprentice.

* * *

"Welcome to Arc's bakery! Short, Sweet, rolls off the tongue!" was the battlecry of the morning and the war to sell bread continued to rage on.

Bagels, muffins, donuts, sandwiches, and coffee were the ammunition while himself, Olivia and her small kitchen staff were the battle hardened squad who had stepped right into the middle of a breakfast-filled warzone.

"Jaune another tray of croissants, please!" Olivia yelled out.

"Got it!" he answered.

"Olivia, we're short on the glazed donuts!"

"On it!" Might as well, he was getting more of the croissants anyway.

And the orders kept coming but by now Jaune was used to the pace. In fact he enjoyed the somewhat controlled chaos of the morning rush.

Slowly but surely he was getting to know the locals. Mrs. Wyte enjoyed her coffee black. Old man Warren was a sucker for the chocolate donuts. The mailman Terry always came with a smile and would leave with a dozenful of the hazelnut croissants.

He was quietly building an identity past being Olivia's little brother and the neighborhood was more than willing to accept him for it.

"Busy getting whipped again, Jaune?" Mrs. Wyte grinned past her coffee mug.

"You know it, Mrs. W." He winked back as he balanced two trays of fresh baked delicious goodness.

"Don't let Olivia push you too hard, Jaune. Newbie hazing is never a fun working environment." Terry chimed in his concern with a friendly laugh.

"Aw, don't let my sister hear you say that, Terry. She can and _will_ cut you off from the goods."

The usual morning banter. When he had first arrived he hadn't know how to react to the locals teasing but over time it began to feel familiar and pretty soon he was taking it like the best of them.

He liked this place.

He liked his job.

Who knows, maybe it could eventually fill the hole that was his old life.

He was more than willing to play to that fantasy. Until he heard a familiar voice.

"My good man, I'd like some coffee. Black, preferably."

"You got it uh-"

No way.

It just wasn't possible.

But here he was in the flesh. And there was no mistaking the figure that stood across the counter from him. Those intelligent eyes and proud stature could only belong to one man.

"Oz? Professor Ozpin?"

The older man gave a smile meant for an old friend. "It's been a long time, Jaune." Ozpin raised his right hand for a courteous greeting.

"Wha- how- I mean…"

Jaune shook his head, clearing his confusion. This was no way to greet an old friend and mentor after all these years.

"... It's good to see you too, Professor." He took the proffered hand and gave it a hearty shake.

"So… a Bakery. Quite a charming place." Oz smiled as they finished their handshake. He subtly pointed with his cane. "Your idea, I presume?"

"Nah. I wouldn't be able to cut it here. Turns out it's a cutthroat business, the doughy world of bakery." Jaune smirked. "This is all Olivia's baby. Always said she wanted to open one of her own someday. Dreams can come true, you know. I just help out where I'm needed."

The genius behind the Jaeger program couldn't help but smile at Jaune's words. "You always have, Jaune. Listen I-"

"Jaune! Hey, what's keeping you? We got more baked goods that need to be brought to the front."

 _Oh shit!_

"It's Olivia, " he hastily murmured. "She can't see you here. She'd tear you a new one." He hurriedly went around the counter and continued to guide the Professor out. "Uh, I'm taking a ten, Sis! I need to breathe a little."

"Oh for the love of- Fine! Ten and no more!" he heard her voice from the back loud and clear.

* * *

"So what is this about, Oz?" Jaune had led them to a park nearby and they now found themselves sitting at a comfortable bench, despite the presence of numerous pigeons cooing round their feet. "I mean not that I don't think it's cool of you to visit but you've never once came to see me before. Why now? What changed?"

"Well, for one it's not like it was easy. Your family makes contacting you a little… difficult to say the least."

Jaune shrugged. "Could you blame them, though?"

Oz looked at him and reluctantly sighed. "No, of course not. They have every right to be mad at me."

"If it's any consolation, Prof, you know it was my call just as much as yours. I don't blame you one bit for it."

Jaune loved his family but sometimes their love for him tended to cloud their judgement for the worse. He was just as much to be blamed for the incident but they acted like Oz was in the wrong, and Jaune was innocent.

He hated that.

Louise wouldn't have let them. She would have spoken up her mind by now.

But she wasn't here.

And he wasn't her.

"Thank you, Jaune… as for the reason why I am here." He pulled out a brochure which certainly caught the blonde man's attention. "Have a look."

Jaune reluctantly took the small pamphlet and glanced at it's content. "This is Beacon Academy… But I thought you were being shut down."

" _Were_. Not anymore. In fact we are getting more support than ever, my boy. The Grimm are growing bolder, stronger. A new one appears almost every month and we have no idea why, but the one constant thing that has shown results are the Jaegers. To fight monsters-"

"- You need to become a monster," Jaune finished Ozpin's favorite quote. How could he forget? It was ingrained into his brain the moment he had stepped into Beacon's doors. And what better way to describe the towering behemoths known as Jaegers. "So what has this got to do with me?"

"Jaune… I know I'm not asking this lightly of you but please listen and think about it. I… no, _we_ want you back in."

"...what?"

There was no way Oz just said that.

"Oz, you know I can't do that...I can't be in a Jaeger anymore."

Broken.

That's what he had been. He lost more than just a twin sister that day. He lost a part of himself.

And that took out all of the fight in him. A Jaeger pilot who couldn't fight, well… that was just no pilot at all.

"Jaune… You and Louise were zero drift compatible. Do you realize what the percentile chance of people like you exist?"

"I'm going to take a chance and say less than zero?"

"...less than .0000017 percent."

"Huh. Could have fooled me, Prof." Humor was his one defense when he felt uncomfortable.

"Jaune… you can still pilot. Zero drift means you can meld with anyone. My boy…" Ozpin placed a confident hand on his shoulder. "... you were destined to be a Jaeger Pilot."

"I… I can't. Not after that day. I can't let anyone else in my head. Not after Louise. I can still feel her to this day. Do you know what that's like?!" He stood up, he felt like he had to lest he fell into another depressed state. He was just beginning to get other his ordeal and now Oz came back and dropped a bomb on him. "Like… like…"

"...like a part of you is missing still," Oz finished for him.

"So how can you ask this of me, despite knowing all that?" Jaune eyed the mysterious headmaster of Beacon.

"...I'm not asking you to do something you don't want to Jaune. I'm not even asking you to be a pilot. But with your experience you can set a fine example for the new set of pilots to come."

"Like what? An Instructor of sort? Don't you have plenty of those already?"

"Please… Just think about it, Jaune." It was Oz's turn to stand and look at his friend and former colleague. "We all fall Jaune. It's what we do afterwards that matters. All we can do is move forward." He placed a card in Jaune's hands. "Think on what really matters to you, Jaune Arc."

* * *

It was twenty past midnight and all Jaune could do was sit awake in the dark thinking of Ozpin's words. He wasn't blind. He knew the dire state Remnant was in. The Grimm threat was getting more and more out of hand. True, Jaeger pilots were rare to begin with but their numbers were slowly dwindling.

What was a former pilot to do?

"...What do you think I should do, Louise?" he asked the darkness.

No response was given but he felt a pull from the recesses of his mind.

 _...Do what you always do best, Jaune. Be a hero._

He didn't know when it had happened, but the medal of valor he had been ashamed of was directly in the palm of his hands, the gold glint seemed to shine regardless of the void of the dark.

Jaune rose suddenly, something in him compelled him to move from his bed to his closet and there he was. He slid open the door and rummaged through his belongings till he found what he was looking for. He breathed in, remembering the smell and feel of his old bomber jacket. Embroided on the back were the twin crescent moons and the proud words displaying the name "Crocea Mors." Out of nostalgia and fondness he placed it on.

And it felt as comfortable as the first time he had ever worn it.

He looked at the mirror and had to glance at himself.

Louise always did say that he looked best with the jacket on.

 _Makes you look like you got more shoulders on you, and you're way less scrawny._

He smiled at the memory.

Could he do this? ...Could he go back to the world he left behind?

Could he do this without Louise?

 _I'm never apart from you, brother. I'm always with you._

Somehow just imagining those words from Louise made his eyes all watery.

Right there and then, Jaune Arc knew his answer.

* * *

 **Additional Author's note:**

 **So what do you guys think? Something we can work with? I dunno who to pair Jaune up with later. Considering he is zero drift compatible he can pretty much link with anyone. So please vote on your favorite Jaune pairings. It would definitely help sway where I'm going with the story.**


	2. Chapter 1:Welcome Home, Pilot

**Author's Note:**

 **And we have Pyrrha coming up on top by a landslide. Blake and Yang are pretty close. Not don't give up on you favorite pairing. The story is still quite early and it'll be awhile before the official ship sails. I'm kinda going with the flow of the story here. But thanks for all the votes guys! I really didn't think anyone was interested in this story. Glad I was proven wrong.**

* * *

 **Project Jaeger**

 **Chapter 1: Welcome Home, Pilot**

* * *

At 2:28 AM you can bet Olivia Arc was pissed to be up. But she heard some foot scuffling and rummaging about in her kitchen and, considering tomorrow was a holiday, there was no way any member of her staff had decided to work a late shift.

Someone was definitely in her kitchen.

And if they thought they could intimidate or take whatever little she had, they had another think coming. Before becoming a baker Olivia had developed quited a reputation amongst her siblings as the wild one, always itching for the next fight. Whether it was fencing tournaments, martial Kumites, illegal street brawls (don't tell her parents) she had been through them all and come out the victor.

Scooping up an aluminum bat she quietly prowled the dark hallway, scouting for her potential intruder… or was it prey?

In a flash she had emerged into the kitchen and turned the lights on, illuminating the trespasser as she moved to attack.

"Ahh!" The familiar cry of her brother caught her off guard as she dropped the deadly weapon in hand.

"Jeezus Jaune!" She scowled at him. "You scared the crap out of me!"

"You? Scared? Scared women don't go walking around ready to whack anyone with a bat. What the hell, Sis?!"

Olivia had worked hard to maintain an prim and proper lady-like demeanor for the later half of her life. She was proud of that, but true enough, Jaune did have a point. Perhaps her actions were peculiar. But that didn't mean she had to hear it from her baby bro.

"Ahem. Are you implying that I'm acting… brutish, dear brother?"

She could see him gulp down something in his throat.

"...Nope. Never crossed my mind, dear sweet sister."

"Good."

She was going to ignore this. They both were.

Jaune was many things, but he was her beloved brother after all.

And her brother was definitely right there… sitting near the dining table with a familiar bomber jacket on top of his regular clothes. A gleaming medal was gripped in his hand.

"Jaune… what is _that_ you're wearing?" Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Uh…"

"And is that…." She walked towards him and easily swiped the gold regalia from him.

"Hey!"

Olivia read the inscriptions out loud. "The highest distinguishing marks for Jaune Arc, Hero of Vale. Hearts as strong as steel..."

She knew those words well. Jaune and Louise often recited them together and often drove her nuts, but today the words felt lonelier than usual.

 _Hearts as strong as steel._

That was Beacon Academy's motto.

Jaune returned the favor by swiping it back just as quickly. "C'mon sis. Quit playing around. That's very valuable to me."

She could only look at him in awed wonder. Olivia was never known to interfere with her siblings' lives, preferring to live by the motto "you learn from your mistakes". But clearly she needed to say something to her twenty two year old brother, who was sitting down in her kitchen with his old pilot bomber jacket, having some milk and cookies.

"Okay…" She simply replied as she sat down next to him, Taking a swig from Jaune's own glass of milk and scoffing down a few cookies of her own. "Spill it, bro. What the hell is going on with you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. What's… what's with all this?" She gestured wildly at his getup. "And you burnt these cookies by the way. They're too crispy!"

"Did not. I just like em that way." He retorted with the ease of a veteran sibling.

An awkward silence fell between them before Olivia spoke up.

"... you don't do this every night, do you? With the get up and everything… because that would be freaky."

"Ollie." He rolled his eyes sarcastically.

She sighed his fond nickname for her. Jaune and her sisters were the only ones who could call her that. It was a sign of their bonds, their trust.

Arcs always looked out for each other.

No matter what.

"Okay, okay. Just wanted to make sure my brother isn't into some new weird hobby or anything." She smiled slightly before seriously gazing at him. She had danced around the issue long enough. It was time to confront it.

"Seriously though… what gives little brother?"

And her younger sibling could only stare at her before sadly looking back at the medal he was casually playing with in his hand. "...Hey Ollie… I know it's kinda sad but I don't remember… do you remember who was it that wanted to be Jaeger pilots when we were younger? Me or Louise?"

And at once her eyes lit with solemn nostalgia, her sharp face softened remembering the memory.

"What kind of question is that?" She grinned slightly before flicking her brother's nose. "...Silly. You both did. Ever since I could remember."

"Really?"

"Are you calling your sister a liar?"

"I'm not calling my sister whose house and shop I live in anything but sweet, sweet things."

"Good boy. You did learn something from Charlotte."

"Actually learned it from Derick. Seriously you got a good pastry chef there, Sis. A good guy. Why you gotta keep turning the man down?"

"S-shut up!" Who she would potentially date or not date was no concern of her brother. "I'll date whenever I'm ready for it." She angrily flicked a cookie crumb right at his cheek.

"Alright, jeez. Sorry for bringing it up."

What were they talking about again? God, could the Arc siblings derail a conversation fast.

"...Oz came by to see me today."

And there it was. Jaune was at least on point. But she hadn't expected him to say that. She wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"Oz… Oz was here?"

"Yeah."

"At my bakery?"

"Yep."

Olivia took a deep breath, trying to decide how to respond. A man whose neck she wanted to wring had completely slipped through her fingers and what was worst he had somehow managed to talk to Jaune without her knowing.

 _That snake Ozpin…_

"Ollie… are you okay?"

"...Yeah… I'm as calm as can be." She swallowed her pent up wrath. There was just no use venting out now. "...And what did Oz want?" She calmly asked with as much poise as she could.

"Well seeing as you caught me like this, I don't know what else to say exactly." Jaune gestured to all of him.

Olivia took a long hard look at her brother. For the longest time he had been scrawny Jaune, always been Louise's other half. But when he wore that jacket and stepped into a Jaeger, she could not have been more proud of him. He had become something more than the child she had known. Something he was always destined to be.

And it frightened her greatly when it almost took everything from him.

When he was almost taken from them… from her. She could still remember his bleeding unconscious face as he was wheeled into that hospital, barely gasping for air, his proud Crocea Mors devastated and broken.

No sister should ever see their brother in so much pain.

Now… she didn't know what to feel.

"The Jaeger program…. Of course he'd want you back," she whispered with clarity. "And?"

"I, I didn't give an answer. But he asked me to think about it."

"And have you?"

" Dunno… I mean I kinda do want to pilot again but… eh, I'm on my eleventh chocolate chip and honestly I can't tell you what I'm thinking. Thought the sugar would help get the blood going more, you know."

Olivia sighed. "Yeah I figured."

"Hey sis." His blue eyes came into contact with her own orbs. "What do you think I should do?"

"... Jaune… Rule twenty one of the Arc family," she quoted as she patted his cheek firmly. "Never ask a loaded question."

Olivia knew her brother well. She knew how it felt to him to be a Jaeger pilot. If he was willing to get back on the saddle she knew she couldn't be the one to stop him, as much as reason and logic dictated her to. A part of Jaune was always ingrained in that giant suit of armor he took to the battlefield. Even she knew that.

"You always wanted to be a hero, Jaune." She moved her hand up to ruffle his dirty blonde locks. "And you will always be _our_ hero, little brother. But is this what you really want? Jaune… doing this won't bring Louise back. You know that right?"

She didn't mean to bring her up, she knew Jaune's twin was still a vulnerable spot for him. But she had to bring up what was important. Survivor's guilt. It had been consuming her brother for years now. He had to give her the right reason right now for her to believe in him going.

"No… it won't. But I know Lou. If it had been the other way around she wouldn't have stopped being a pilot just because of me. She'd continue to help people. She'd do it because she could. Not because she had to. I want to be able to say that about myself. I want to be a Jaune Arc Lou could be proud of."

As much as she hated to admit it, Jaune's words pulled at her heartstrings. Jaune had never truly been the same since the lost of their sibling. A spark here and there, a joke or two, but never the same life loving boy he had been with his twin. If he chose to go back then maybe… there was a chance he might finally come home whole.

Or dead.

But maybe that was a risk worth taking.

"Whatever you want to do… I'll support it."

"Ollie… thanks." He smiled sweetly. "...You were always the best sister."

"Yeah, yeah. You've said that plenty of times already about Marie and Joan too. Don't think I don't notice."

He laughed slightly before scratching his head. "I guess… I'll do it… No, I _need_ to do it. I've been hiding here with you for far too long, Sis. I think it's time I confront that part of my life. Because I want it back. I… I want to be able to help people. And I do it best in-"

"-A Jaeger, I know."

Olivia's lips pursed slightly. She couldn't help it. Jaune was getting revved up. Something he hadn't been in a long time.

"Man… Mom and Dad are going to be pissed once they hear about this. What will Joan say? Charlotte? Marie? The girls?"

She grabbed him by the scruff of his jacket and pulled him into a tight but friendly headlock. "You let me worry about Mom and Dad. As for the rest… well you gotta do that yourself, bro. Because honestly, I don't even know how much I really believe in this decision of yours. I trust you - like I said - and I'll support you. But that doesn't mean I'll fully understand it."

"I take that back, Marie is always the better sister."

Olivia didn't know how or when but she had transitioned the friendly head-lock into her signature dragon sleeper hold.

"K-kidding… J-just kidding, Sis!"

"Yeah I thought as much."

* * *

Jaune Arc had never been more nauseous than he was in these moments. Put him in a train, he was fine. In a Jaeger, even better. But there was just something about how airships moved that made all his senses go haywire.

He couldn't tell where up was down or down was up and every turbulence they hit rocked him harder than a sailor in a storm.

He placed his hands in the sleeve of the comfortable bomber jacket and prayed that the air sickness medicine he took would eventually kick in. He was pretty sure he went over the regular amount and still no effect.

He hoped that the aviator glasses he wore at least could mask his sickly look from the other passengers. Bad enough that he had to fly coach but he didn't really want to be recognized by anyone. Sure it might have been four years since than but how embarrassing would it be to find a hero of Vale perturbed by a little air sickness?

 _Oh no… Here we go…_

Jaune could feel it. Could feel his face turn green. He had no time to lose. He rushed to the bathroom with all speed he could muster.

After minutes of intense bathroom time Jaune emerged from the lavatory weary, worn, but victorious. He had conquered the porcelain throne with ease. And he felt better to boot. Luckily Jaune always carried breath mints in situations like this. He popped one in with ease.

That was when he noticed a missing piece on his person.

His glasses.

He left his glasses in the lavatory.

Jaune sighed. They weren't a sentimental piece like his medal nor a memorable one like his jacket but those were one of first things he had bought on his own with his own money after he had come to work for Olivia. They weren't expensive but they weren't cheap either.

He made the slow trek backwards hoping to find they were still in there. What he found was a girl exiting the lavatory.

No. Not a girl. A woman.

And what a woman. Long luscious golden locks cascaded behind her slender back, ample hip and fit waist accentuated by her denim short pants, and a glorious bosom kept all in a nice little package of a tight black shirt that said too hot to handle.

He would have kept staring had he not spotted something.

On her pretty little face sat his aviator glasses.

"Something I could do for you, chief?" She smirked at him in confidence.

"Huh?" he responded like a gullible idiot.

Jaune thanked the heavens his sisters weren't here to make fun of him.

"I mean you are blocking my way." She tilted the shades down in a playful manner. Lilac eyes. How pretty. "Gotta say this is a new thing. Ambushing a girl after she freshened up. Has that really worked?"

"Ambush- No, no. Dear God no." Jaune waved his hand to mimic his head. "I mean, what I mean is… Miss, those sunglasses are mine and I'd appreciate having them back."

She took off the glasses and looked at them casually. "These little things?"

"Yes."

Her chin perked up in a thoughtful expression. The next thing Jaune knew was the alluring blonde had closed the gap between them and was placing the glasses on his face. He could feel the tenderness of her fingers and could vividly smell her perfume. She smelled of honey and lilacs.

"Uh…"

"Hmmm… Still missing something." She puzzled as she placed her finger over her mouth in thoughtful manner.

She might have been honestly thinking, but all Jaune could focus on was how provocative this woman was being. How sexy could a person be in a normal situation like this?

Finally her lips lifted to a smirk as she began to comb his hair backwards with her fingers.

Not that Jaune was complaining (it felt good) but this woman clearly has no respect for personal boundaries.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

"Better." She smiled.

"Better?"

"You look better with your hair slicked back like that if you're going to wear aviator glasses, silly. It shows off your good facial symmetry."

Oh, that's what that was.

"Um, thank you?"

"You're welcome, handsome." She gave him that warm smile once again. "Still think they looks better on me though." She winked confidently.

"I'm not going to disagree on that." She really had pulled off the aviator glasses well.

"Well, I'll c'ya around fly boy." She patted his shoulder in such a way that made Jaune felt all tingly as she made her way past him and all he could do was stare in awe as she walked away from him, her hips swaying to and fro with an enticing rotation.

Only after she had vanished from sight did the spell on Jaune break.

 _Damn it, Jaune! You could have asked her her name, girls like that only come once in a lifetime!_

He stood there solemnly contemplating his lonely future.

"...I need a girlfriend." He sighed with as much exasperation a single twenty two year old man could.

* * *

"Yang, where were you? You said you needed to go to the bathroom like twenty minutes ago."

"Sorry, Sis. You know me. Gotta have me some 'me' time. We're not getting any yang-er you, know."

Ruby's face contorted in pain. "Oh God, it's happening again. You promised me you wouldn't do that."

Yang laughed as she sat down next to her beloved little sister. "Oh, c'mon. Live a little. Grow up. Fall in love. Do some puns. It's what Dad would want."

"...I'm pretty sure Dad doesn't want any of that for us. Except for the puns." Ruby snickered. "He still thinks of us as his sweet little girls."

"We'll I won't tell if you won't." Yang winked as she playfully hugged her petite partner. "Besides, you _are_ a sweet little girl."

"Yeah, right." Ruby retorted back with a grin of her own. "A sweet little girl going off to pilot school to be flying the best darn thing we humans ever invented!"

Yang shook his head in reluctant acceptance. For as long as she's known her half-sister, Ruby had always been a fangirl when it came to the Jaegers. She knew them by name, by type, and by class.

For Ruby, being a Jaeger Pilot was everything. And Yang Xiao Long would move heaven and earth to make her sister's dream come true. And today was that day.

"Hey, Rubes. This whole ship is going to Beacon, right? Meaning that everyone is like a pilot candidate or something?"

Ruby shrugged. "It's quite possible. I mean who else needs to go to Beacon besides people in the Jaeger program?"

A mischievous smile crept up on Yang's face as she recalled the slack jawed young man she had left behind as she walk away. Normally he wasn't her type but something about him seemed to draw her in.

Something in those blue eyes hid something stronger, something sterner. Yang knew fighters when she saw them. And tall, blonde, and awkward was definitely one.

Perhaps she'd see him again soon.

"Rubes… I think you're going to like it here. I know I am."

* * *

"This can't be right." Jaune scratched the back of his head as he glanced around and back once more to his map.

How could one Academy change so much in the span of the four years he had been absent?

It was official.

Jaune was lost.

He thought he was at the courtyard, but after numerous backtracking he'd managed to lose sight of where he originally was and was now in some kind of public garden. "Why didn't I charge my scroll over night?"

His scroll would have fixed everything. At the very least he would be able to contact Oz that he was on the premises but the damn old thing had shut down during the flight and Jaune had no way of charging it currently.

He blamed his over excited eagerness for such a careless mistake. Still it was easily rectified. He spotted a lone figure sitting down on a nearby bench, reading.

He could probably ask for directions. His folks always said that strangers were just friends you haven't met yet.

As he got closer he found himself fixated on the quiet reader more and more. Her long wavy black hair was accentuated by a big black ribbon twisted up into a bow atop her locks. He wasn't up to date with women's clothing but he could tell what she wore was definitely fashionable. But what drew him in most was definitely those golden ample eyes of hers.

She was the very definition of a beauty.

The raven haired wonder didn't seem to notice him one bit, lost in her own little world as she read, so he coughed a bit to signify his presence.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

"... Yes?" She finally noticed and glanced upwards at him.

Her voice was quaint, low and had an allure by in it's own. He could probably listen to her for hours if she'd let him.

"I, uh, I hate to be a bother and everything, but do you think you could help me? I haven't been to Beacon in a while and I'm kinda… well, I'm kinda lost." Jaune smiled nervously.

She gave him a thorough look before giving a small smile. "It happens a lot more than you think. Where do you need to go?"

"The headmaster's office. I need to see the Professor."

"Sure thing. Head down here. Past the hedges make a right, then at the ridge make a left and another left, and you should see a giant building. That's where you wanna go."

"Right, left, left. Got it."

"Right."

The two shared a little laugh.

"Well thanks for that. I owe ya."

"Don't mention it. Please. Enjoy your stay at Beacon." And the cool beauty continued to read her book.

Jaune had to say something.

"That's a pretty good book, by the way."

That must have brought her attention because she looked up at him again. "Hmm?"

"The book. That's Jekyll and Hyde right? The man with two souls. It's always a good read. One of my mom's favorites."

"How did you-" She paused before nodding. 'Yes… yes it is."

"First edition, I take? I could tell from the leather bindings and the cover. That's a pretty neat thing you have there."

Once more she gave him a curious glance. "My mom's sort of a book nut." Jaune clarified. "We have a small little library back home. I remember seeing that exact same book."

She smiled at him. "Must be nice. I'd love to have a collection myself someday."

"Hey, dream big, right?" Jaune laughed. "Well, don't let me keep ya. Please enjoy your book and thanks."

As Jaune was about to walk away he heard that lovely voice once more.

"Hey."

He turned around.

"...I like your jacket." She stated simply.

He smiled gently at her. "Thanks. It was my sister's idea."

"Well your sister has good taste."

The two exchanged brief glances and Jaune suddenly felt determined not to make the same mistake he did on the airship.

"I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc." He walked backed casually and offered his hand.

The golden eyed book lover before him cautiously looked at him before accepting his hand in return.

Jaune didn't know a girl's hands could be that soft.

"Blake. Blake Belladonna."

He smirked. What a lovely name, "You a pilot, Blake?"

"... Sort of. You?"

"Sort of," he answered back.

With that obscurity, the two of them couldn't help but share an easy laugh.

Jaune already felt better about coming back to this place.

* * *

After meeting his new friend, Jaune had followed her directions and had easily made his way out of the garden maze. Now he was directly where he needed to be. What Jaune didn't expect was the familiar face of his past directly in front of him, blocking his way. Her long curvy legs, her stern but fetching attire, those intelligent green eyes mirrored by the cutest pair of glasses... It was a face he'd never thought to see again.

She must have felt the same too, judging by the look of shock on her face.

Shock was never a common expression on Glynda Goodwitch.

"Hey," he stated feebly, not really knowing how else to continue.

What do you say to a colleague (whom you secretly had a crush on) you haven't seen in four years?

She obviously knew the answer as she walked towards him a brisque manner.

"Glynda..." And as soon as those words left his mouth he felt her hands come across his cheek hard as a resounding slap echoed in the hallway.

"Ow! What the hell, woman?!"

"That was for leaving."

"What?!"

"And this…" As quickly as he felt the sting it had subsided because the next thing Jaune knew he was in her warm embrace. "Is for coming back." He could smell the scent of her, a familiar loving scent. Glynda always smelled of peaches and summer rain.

Two of his favorite things.

"Welcome home… Archangel…" She whispered his old call sign fondly.

He could never stay mad at Glynda for far too long. He returned the embrace, meant for two long lost friends. "... Good to be back, Goodwitch."

* * *

 **And so we've met Yang, Blake, Ruby, and Glynda all in one chapter. And as you might have guessed it in this timeline because Jaune is older he and Glynda used to work together in the Jaeger program. As to the nature of their relationship I'll let the story write itself out.**


	3. Chapter 2: Good To Be Back, Beacon

**Author's Note:**

 **Another chapter. Another new girl get's introduced. Woot! Thank you to all who reviewed and have positively shown this story some love. You guys are the best.**

* * *

 **Project Jaeger**

 **Chapter 2: Good To Be Back, Beacon**

* * *

"I know I've said it before, but I am glad to have you back with us, Jaune."

Jaune thought he saw a flicker of life come from those tired eyes, but he must have imagined it. Professor Ozpin was never a sentimental man. A brilliant inventor, strategist, and robotics expert, yes. Not so much one in touch with his more human like qualities. Here in the confines of his office, Ozpin looked about as comfortable as Jaune had ever seen the man. Cool and calculated and completely in control.

"Thanks, Prof." Still Jaune appreciated the gesture of welcome, heartfelt or not. "But remember I'm still not sure about the whole piloting gig, I mean, it's been too long."

"Of course, my boy. One step at a time. For now, having you here, teaching our future rangers, well that's more than enough for me," Oz assured him.

"Still though, I am glad at what I'm seeing." The blonde young man played off the mood casually. "I'd never thought I've seen Beacon so... "

"Lively?" Ozpin smiled.

"So big. I mean, holy cow. It's like twice the size of when I was here."

"You can thank my second in command for that." Ozpin glanced sideways at the blonde beauty that stood beside him. Glynda, ever the professional, kept a calm and collected face on. "Instructor Goodwitch here has earned herself a legendary reputation amongst the crew."

Jaune had been catching up with Glynda on the way here, so he had heard the tale and Oz just confirmed it for him. While Oz was away convincing the higher powers that be to let the Jaeger program continue, it was Glynda who held down the fort. Teaching, commanding, guarding. All that, and somehow she still found the necessary funding to keep the Jaeger program alive and thriving.

"It was merely my job, nothing more. Just a simple reminder to the right ears about who keeps their cities safe whenever the ground shakes, and you'd be surprise who is willing to give a helping hand," Glynda stated casually as she adjusted her glasses.

To someone who knew her less well, this might come off as a mere subtle gesture, but Jaune knew better. It was a little thing she did right after she was praised for something, even back when she was a pilot. It meant she was proud, and embarrassed about feeling that way. No matter how much she achieved, she never felt she had the right to be boastful.

But she had gone from pilot to now second commander of the Jaeger fleet.

What an accomplishment.

He would have been proud of his friend and senior had he not felt such a twinge of guilt for leaving in the first place. What he would have accomplished together here with Glynda, well not together _together_ , but…

… the years away he wasted.

He must have come off as such a loser.

He probably did deserve that smack earlier.

He could still feel the bitter sting from Glynda's palm on his cheek. That must have been part of the pain she had felt of his betrayal.

No Ranger in the history of Beacon had ever walked away from the battlefield. But he did.

He was the only one.

And nobody faulted him for it. They even gave him a medal.

Except for the ones that truly mattered.

She had stopped speaking to him all those years ago and yet here they were, like it had all been a bad dream.

Funny how life works sometimes.

He definitely needed to make it up to her somehow.

"So are these?..." Jaune pointed at the folder that was placed in front of him, laying on Ozpin's desk.

"The brightest and newest candidates this school will have the privilege of molding. The up and coming Rangers and Jaeger Pilots of Beacon." Ozpin nodded.

"They look so… young." The ex-pilot flipped through the folder and glossed over the names and the faces.

The headmaster's brow raised in surprise and amusement. "Not any older than you were, Jaune, when you first started here."

"Seventeen, seventeen, eighteen, seventeen, FIFTEEN?!" he couldn't help but exclaim the last part.

"I assure you, Miss Rose has more than earned her spot on that list. She has gotten top marks at her combat school in Patch, she comes from a piloting background, and as far as we know it has one of the highest drift rankings with her sister, Yang," Glynda spoke up on Oz's behalf.

Jaune went back over the notes and found the girl's chosen partner, a miss Yang Xiao Long. Half-sisters, from what he read.

 _Oh no…_

There was no mistaking that gorgeous confident face. Hot blondie from the airship who made him feel funny, was the very same _seventeen_ year old partner of Ruby Rose.

 _Well there go my dreams of getting her number…_

And she looked perfect for him too - although to be fair Jaune would have probably said that about any girl who might have had a slight interest in him.

He shook his head.

 _Mind out of the gutter, Arc. We came here for a reason._

He came to Beacon to make a difference. Not to date, especially if said date entailed fraternizing with students. Still... a man can dream.

"Something wrong, Jaune?" the Professor inquired.

"Oh no, it's nothing. Just thinking of something stupid."

It was Ozpin's turn to get serious. "Ranger Arc, you know better than anyone else the Grimm do not care for age or gender. We are nothing but food and vermin to those monsters. And as far as we know it, the melding process is more efficient and easily mended by younger candidates."

He didn't have to be reminded. He remembered his time as a student with Louise. Still it just suddenly dawned on him that the free world of Remnant lay in the hands of the next generation. A generation of youths who should be spending their years talking about stupid everyday things like who to date, who to take to the prom, what to wear, what kind of music to listen to, etc. Not at a school teaching them to risk their lives.

But such was the world they lived in.

He had been one of those youths not so long ago. Perhaps in a few years, they would be him… Or else they would be Louise.

"Right, right. Sorry, Prof. I got a little emotional there. I'm pretty sure these kids knew exactly what they signed up for."

"Good." Ozpin nodded in agreement. "Then it's settled. We'll start introducing you as early as tomorrow. Make yourself at home, and Glynda here will show you to your quarters."

It had been awhile but Jaune remembered his training and the etiquettes that were expected of him. He saluted Ozpin in the same manner he had been taught all those years ago. "Yes sir!"

"... Once again… welcome home, Ranger." Ozpin slyly smiled.

"Just like old times, sir." Jaune couldn't help but smile back.

* * *

"He is genuinely, happy to see you, you know," Glynda commented as they both began to long walk towards the staff dormitories.

"You think so? I could never tell my 'I'm happy' Oz face to the 'I hope this is black coffee' Oz face."

Glynda paused and glanced at him before a smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Same old, Jaune. Always with the jokes."

"Yeah I remember you not laughing at them, back then too." Jaune nervously laughed.

"I would have if you were actually funny, Arc."

Was that a joke from Glynda?

"Oh, so The Good Witch _can_ appreciate humor." Jaune's eyebrows raised in delight.

She looked at him like it was such a strange thing to say. "I am human after all, Jaune. Laughter is a delightful source of stress relief."

"Annnnddd there's the Glynda that I know."

Okay, here was his chance to make things right.

"I am sorry, you know." He tried to state it casually, one hand in his pocket, the other holding steady his duffle bag, eyes forever looking forward, but apologies always take a serious turn.

"Hmm? For what?"

"... C'mon Glyn. You know what. For… leaving. For abandoning our mission… I… I shouldn't have done that."

Now it was Glynda's turn to pause and reflect his words. "I don't fully blame you. You lost… you lost someone. I get that. _We_ all get that. And I know it was worse for you… because you lost Louise… while you were melded together. I can't imagine what that must have felt like."

The events of that day were still fuzzy to Jaune, like a nightmare he didn't have all the pieces of. Just shards… shards of bitter, broken, memories. One moment there was Louise in his head and the next… nothing but the bitterness of the void. It was like she had been stolen from his existence.

"Jaune?"

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah… yeah, it was tough." An image came to mind of him struggling to bring Crocea Mors alone back to base, the smell of oil and of dried and fresh blood mixed together coated the air, his vision hazy from the beating he had taken.

"I've always regretted never talking to you when you left." Glynda's words surprise Jaune. Glynda regretted something? It's true what they say, time can change people. "And I am… sorry about slapping you earlier. I am quite sure I was out of line."

He gave that a thought before responding.

"Nah, don't be. I deserved that. You always expected better of me. Better of all of us. And I always appreciated that, Glyn." Finally he turned to meet her gaze. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, you were the pilot I always wished I could have been."

Jaune didn't fully anticipate how much the unintentional compliment would mean, because he didn't even noticed Glynda's steps pausing a beat before continuing with him.

"Well, you're here now and that's all that counts," she replied back, hands steadily adjusting her glasses.

The two continued their small talk until they had reached their intended destination. It was a comely enough room. In fact pretty swank even, by Jaune's standards. He had a small kitchen to himself, a tiny dining room area, a live in bedroom and a full on shower and bathtub.

He whistled out loud. "Does all the staff at Beacon have this?"

"Naturally as well as the students." Glynda answered. "During their downtime both staff and student need to be able to relax in the comforts of their own home for maximum rest potential. It minimizes stress and infighting while maximizing focus and productivity."

"Well whatever it is, this is great. I think it's bigger than my old place at Olivia's."

"I'm glad you think so." Glynda smiled, but not before she pulled out her scroll and began to jot down some notes. "So as of eighteen hundred hours today, you have til twenty hundred hours to procure your meal and dine before your next appointed schedule for the day which is a psyche evaluation from the school's physiotherapy counselor."

"From the who the what now?"

She gave him a confident smile. "I look forward to seeing you there, Jaune."

"Wait, that's you too?"

"Of course. Who else is more qualified than me?"

She did had a point there. Glynda was a natural judge of character, much like Ozpin. It was no wonder she was his protege.

"I'm sorry. Oz never mentioned any of this stuff to me before."

"Jaune." She looked at him seriously. "You are the only survivor of a Grimm attack where you lost your sibling and partner, all the while having to endure the stress of maintaining the drift on your own will. I don't know anyone who can come out of that undamaged. I have to make sure you are qualified once again to take the field and to teach the students under a sound mind."

What Glynda was saying did make sense, and deep down he knew he was going to have to face something like this sooner or later. He'd had rather preferred a much later _later_.

"...Okay," he reluctantly sighed, combing through his hair. "Okay. I'll be there."

"Please do." She looked at him with solemn green eyes once more before greeting him farewell for the night, leaving Jaune to unpack his baggages… both physically and mentally.

* * *

"I probably shouldn't have eaten that last burger."

Jaune grimaced as he held a hand near his stomach. It had been awhile since he had a decent meal away from Olivia's cooking (his sister was a genius when it came to baked goods, but atrocious when it came to real meals) and he just couldn't help himself. Beacon knew how to treat their people right.

With meat, meat and more meat.

Well there was more then just meat, but as far as Jaune was concerned, it was pork chops, chicken, and steak as far as the eye could see.

And now he was paying the price for his meaty crusade.

He had time to kill before his appointed session with Glynda, so Jaune figured he could walk some of the meal off. Reclaim his old haunting grounds. And the more Jaune walked, the more he felt distanced from the school. So much had changed. The old lecture hall had been upgraded into an entirely new wing. The pool and field had been completely revamped. Even just the layout of the streets and tracks had been completely redone.

It was as if the old Beacon he had known had disappeared and a new one had taken it's place.

 _Where did the time go, Louise?_

Had he really spent four years of his life secluding himself from the world? Sighing to himself, Jaune suddenly became aware that he had been treading a familiar path. One that led to an all too familiar old elm tree.

He remembered this spot. He used to eat lunches there sometimes.

He cantered on and proceeded left, where he found himself at a nearby green pasture with some benches. This was one of Louise's favorite hangout spots, and they had spent more hours than he cared to count upon those benches. It was far enough from the bustle of the Academy to feel the beauty of nature but close enough to hear the sounds of students in the background, running, laughing, playing. Being the young adults that they should.

"Grr! Stupid machine! I demand you work!" So lost was he in nostalgia he almost overlooked a cry of frustration nearby.

Almost.

He glanced the direction of the voice and sure enough he spotted a young woman with remarkably striking features. Her silver hair matched her stark white dress and the cute little blue bolero jacket (At least that's what he thought it was called) definitely served to amplify her features. He had a feeling, had he been younger, he might have fallen for a girl like her instantly.

She was gorgeous.

Apparently most of the women who went to Beacon were.

Beautiful girls, dangerous girls.

But so far this one just seemed peeved. He could work with peeved though. He understood peeved.

"Something I can help you with, Miss?"

The young woman yelped, startled by his appearance. She covered her quick jump with a refined dusting of her white skirt, before calmly collecting herself. "I didn't know someone else was here."

"Yeah, sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya," he apologized. "Uh, so what's going on?"

"It's this stupid machine." She pointed at the nearby soda dispensing machine. "It ate my money and now it won't give me anything. Not a soda, bottle water, not even a tetra pack!"

"How much did you put in?"

"About a hundred Lien."

He blinked twice. Did she say a hundred? Like as in a hundred Lien bill?

"Well, that could be one problem." He nervously laughed. "Machines like this don't usually like to take more than five. Also you chose old greedy here."

"Old greedy?" Her light blue eyes narrowed at the name.

"Yeah. This machine is known to eat your money. I should know. Old greedy's taken more of my lunch money than I ever cared to count." He walked towards the machine.

"Here's the trick though," He winked at her as he began to pound away at the machine. "Old greedy tends to just give things out if you rough him up enough. Guess he's not the big tough soda machine that he thinks he is."

Soon enough a random soda can had dropped alongside a bottled water and a juice box. Jaune easily bent over and picked up the liquid goods. "Have a pick at your bounty."

She paused to look at him before deciding "I'll take the melon soda."

"Excellent choice." Jaune smiled as he handed it to her. "Cool nights and melon sodas often mix well together, or so I'm told."

"I'm sure…" The white clad young woman went along with the casual talk, not really sure what to make of him.

"Well I'll leave these other ones here by the bench. They're yours anyway, considering how much you paid." Jaune placed down the beverages, but not before hearing the beeping sound of the cantankerous machine. "Oh would you look at that, it spit out your money too. Old greedy's being generous tonight." He laughed as he took the bill and placed it back in the hands of the ice-blue eyed woman.

"Wow… what a piece of crap." It was the first time he had heard the pretty stranger gave of as much as a chuckle, but now she wiped a tear from her eye as she managed to withheld a jolly snort. Just barely holding it together, she covered her mouth daintily and regained composure. "I really should tell my father about getting that whole machine line properly inspected and fixed."

"Yeah, you should really- wait… did you say father?"

She looked at him in a puzzled way. "I didn't stutter, did I?"

"No I… but why would you…"

He looked the the machine and the girl one more time.

One word came to mind. One word that had it's name and brand written all over the soda machine.

"Are you… are you a Schnee by any chance?"

"Weiss. Weiss Schnee."

Okay, Jaune had been living in solitude, isolated from the rest of the world. But even in the little town where Olivia had settled, the Schnee name held some weight and power.

And hers was a name he had heard before.

"The young heiress of the Schnee Corporate Empire… Oh I'm so stupid."

Of course she was somebody. Nobody that gorgeous could have just been a regular person.

"What? It's not like I expected you to know who I was." She gave him a weird look before opening her soda and taking a dainty sip. "I know what you're thinking. What am I doing here at this school and buying a drink from my own company's machines?"

"No… well not exactly," Jaune half lied. "Yeah, okay, something just like that."

"We'll despite my name I am my own person, you know. I have my own goals apart from my family. Can't a girl be an heiress and be a Jaeger Pilot?"

"I… suppose you can," Jaune felt like his response was more to convince himself and less for Weiss.

"Of course I can. Dream big, right?" She proudly beamed him an award winning smile, so much different from the icy cool demeanor he had seen of her multiple times in the many, many magazines that had her in the cover.

It helped she used one of his favorite phrases. Weiss Schnee definitely shot to the very top of his charts of favorite new people.

It was all too much, Jaune had to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

At first Weiss seemed offended but sure enough his laughter was infectious and it wasn't long til she was following his lead.

"What are we even laughing about?" she finally asked.

"I dunno, really." He really didn't.

It took him awhile to settle down but he finally did. Only then did he realize he needed to be elsewhere at the current moment. Glynda was expecting him.

"Well, Miss Schnee, I hope you enjoy your many beverages. I'm uh, I'm about to take off." He gave a casually salute as he began to walk away.

"Wait!"

He stopped and looked back at her.

"Thanks… for helping me back there. With the stupid soda machine. Here." She tossed him the juice box. "A little something for your trouble."

"Don't mention it. And thanks… Grape. My inner ten year old's favorite." Really, Jaune felt he didn't do much to be thanked for - but then a grape juice wasn't too much to accept in the grand scheme of things.

"You know… it's pretty rude to know my name and not give me yours."

Oh that's right! Jaune's mom would have killed him for being so rude to such a pretty girl. "It's Jaune. Jaune Arc." He smiled with as much confidence as he could muster. "Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it."

She rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "Do they, now?"

"Well, you didn't say you hated it, so I'd say yes."

And with that Jaune last word he continued to stroll off into the night, taking out the straw and casually sipping his reward.

 _That's how we do it, Arc. Now just walk away, and let the dashing image of yourself be fully ingrained into her consciousness. This is as cool as we are going to get - sipping a juice box. Don't blow it._

And for once in his life, he didn't. She didn't say anything to stop him as he walked away, but he still felt the heat of her gaze.

He smiled inwardly.

 _Nailed it._

Too proud and caught up in his own moment, he couldn't hear the slight guffaw of a stifled laughter from the young heiress.

"Dork".

* * *

"Dork".

Weiss was trying to stifle a giggle but it was hard not to. The man she had just run into had been the strangest encounter of her life. But it was something new. Someone had talked to her like a regular person and for the first time in forever it was someone who just wanted to talk to her for who she was, not for her name.

At least she hoped it was.

He could have been some creep trying to pick her up. But she'd seen the gentleness in those eyes. No way. No pervert had clear, strong eyes like that. Weiss should know - she prided in her ability to tell people apart. A talent needed by an up and coming heiress of a billion Lien empire.

Nope, it was clear as day.

Jaune Arc was a good guy.

A _dorky_ guy, but a good one nonetheless.

Wait… Arc?

Arc… Arc… Arc… she had heard that name before…

It wasn't long til Weiss eyes widened with sudden realization as to who her temporary companion was. How could she have been so stupid?! She'd seen that jacket before! She knew the name of Crocea Mors! Who on Vale hasn't?! She moved to try and find his shadow in the distance.

But it was already too late. He had already vanished into the night.

Now she was just left with the impact of his identity.

What was a former hero of Vale - the only one who ever retired willingly - doing, returning back to Beacon on her first day of school?

* * *

 **And here comes Weiss. Sorry for a short chapter but It's 2 am where I'm at and I really need to work on some other stuff. Will try for longer next time.**

 **Also I figured with the age gap between Weiss and Jaune their relationship dynamics changed a lot. He's not being super creepo hitting on her every chance he got, and she's not being the snobbish ice queen that we all know and love because well he didn't give her a reason to be.**

 **As for the results we've got Yang now tied with Blake alongside Pyrrha. These three maidens are going at it head to head and I honestly can't decide amongst the girls. All three seem such good fits. I'll let the story decide. Oh and yeah continue to root for your favorite girl.**

 **Hang in there lancaster shippers.**


	4. Chapter 3:You Know Me, Like I Know Me

**Author's Note:**

 **This one took longer than I thought. But the more I began to write the more I wanted to emphasize on Glynda and Jaune's past relationship, of what could have been or might have been if things played out differently. So here's one for those people who love this pair. Don't know what the future holds but it's a pretty nice segment to say the least.**

 **Also Crocea Mors is basically a white and gold recolor of Gypsy Danger. I got lazy. I'll try to be more creative with the other Jaegers.**

* * *

 **Project Jaeger**

 **Chapter 3: You Know Me, Like I Know Me**

* * *

"How do you feel?"

She has to start with the most cliched line in her psychiatric career. The clueless, lanky blonde young man could only stare at her like she had just spoken an alien language.

"You serious?"

"Jaune. I know how it sounds, but it is a serious question." Glynda's eyes narrowed. She hated the cliches, but it was a cliche for a reason. It was a legitimate question to a legitimate concern. "How. Do. You. Feel?"

"...Uh… fine, I guess."

"Care to elaborate, Mr. Arc?"

The green eyed counselor was now incessantly clicking the button on her pen. She was as patient as they came but an old friend (fool) could always push her buttons. Jaune had been her junior for most of her tenure as a pilot, having been three years younger than her. He was everything she did not expect in a pilot and it took some time to earn her reluctant acceptance of him. Primarily what changed her opinion of him, was how his more heroic qualities often won out his buffoonery. She could see that their time apart had not changed Jaune much, at least on the surface. For his sake, Glynda hoped Jaune would take this a little bit more seriously.

"Okay, uh, I'm a little full from dinner. I think I'm tired?..."

"Well those are physical ailments but it's a start." Glynda sighed as she shook her head, slowly taking notes.

"I mean what else do you want me to say, Glyn? This is uh, this is a little too weird for me. Having you do the evaluation."

Finally he said what he was concerned about.

"Jaune." She took off her glasses. Her father had always said her eyes were the most human part of her, and she needed Jaune to believe she was capable of more than just empathy. "I assure you. Whatever you talk to me about, will remain confidential. You are my patient, and I am your mental doctor. Whatever we discuss within these four walls… will just be between you and me. Trust me."

She hoped that would be enough.

Jaune _really_ needed to pass this examination. _They_ needed him to be on the frontlines where he was more of a use as a veteran Jaeger Pilot, rather than be stuck in a classroom, teaching. She'd feel more at ease if Crocea Mors was once again out there, helping guard against whatever terrors the night chose to give out.

Jaune and Louise had an impeccable record. One that came close to beating hers and James. Thirty six confirmed Grimm kills. Thirty six victories.

But even that wasn't enough for her to fudge the papers on a good friend and put him in battle if he wasn't up for it. The Arcs had been through enough tragedies without her adding to them.

She looked at him deeply, willing him to sense how important this was, and how much she wanted him to do well, to trust her again.

He finally looked her with those wide blue eyes. "Okay. I'm listening. What do you need from me?"

Glynda took a deep breath. "Jaune, do you remember that night?" It was a bold move but she needed him to remember, because before the night was over Glynda knew she was going to do far worse than open old wounds.

There was a disease in Jaune, she could feel it. One that he never recovered from and unless he got better she could never give the okay for him to sit once again in a Jaeger.

"... Bits and pieces. I can barely remember how I got out, let alone how it all started." Jaune sat up from the patient couch, his form leaning forward as his fingers combed through his hair. His nervous tick, Glynda noted. Jaune wasn't comfortable and as sorry as she was she couldn't stop now. "It's… Well I don't think about it often. If I can help it."

She took hold of a remote and pressed a button which transformed her office white walls into still images, like a movie was playing around them. She loaded some rare footage, from the salvaged neural drive of that day. Glynda hoped it would help Jaune remember on his own. A gigantic white and gold titan was displayed proudly as it was being ferried by Atlesian airships.

"Do you remember this mission?" she asked.

"... It's been four years, Glyn. Not four decades. I remember that at least." He smiled goofily.

If he had time to joke than Glynda knew it was alright for her to push harder. "Than elaborate, Ranger Arc."

She called him by title to invoke seriousness of the matter and to help recall the atmosphere of the day he was remembering. It seemed to work, because now Jaune was deep in concentration. "It was a summer day. No, night. I remember it because Louise was messing with me, something about trying to find a good place to cool off to bring her date to… not that she had a boyfriend at the time or else she'd have told me. She'd have told me, right?"

Green orbs eyed him suspiciously, but he corrected course without guidance. "Sorry, went on a tangent. Ahem… It was definitely a hot night. Because I remember the rain. I remembered saying something about reduced vision, that hopefully we wouldn't run into anything."

"What was the nature of your mission?"

"Uh…" Jaune closed his eyes hard, desperate to reach the memory. "I, uh… I think it was reconnaissance? Over the Frostback mountains of Vale. I… I can't really remember."

Glynda breathed a disappointing sigh. "I was afraid of this."

She would have to resort to her last option. The second lead instructor of Beacon stood up from her chair and went to pick up a device she was hiding from her office closet.

What she brought back was a sophisticated jet black helm that mimicked their pilot helms, only this one seemed larger and had more wirings than a mass computer.

"Put this on, if you would, Jaune." She requested.

"What's this?"

"It's going to help you get back on your Jaeger, trust me."

He looked at her. She knew that he did trust her, possible more than anyone here. But this was asking a lot.

Slowly, cautiously, Jaune took the device and placed it on his head, careful to strap it down properly over his eyes.

"Much has changed seen you've been gone, Jaune. We've adapted and used Drift technology in multiple fields. One of them is helping people like you get back on their feet," she explained.

"I feel ridiculous with this thing on," he said with a deadpan voice.

"You can't see me, but you made me smile," she told him honestly, considering he couldn't see her. Being able to make people laugh calmed him down. "Don't worry about it. We used to wear worse, remember?"

"Yeah. Mostly."

Glynda gave him one last look as she adjusted the settings for him. "You'll feel some tingling, and a little current run through your back. It's normal. Remember, this helmet is designed after Drift technology. You've experienced that. Keep everything in mind, and Don't. Chase. The. Rabbit."

She cupped his face between her hands as she gave him the grim reminder of Drifting's most fatal flaw.

"I got it." Jaune nodded solemnly.

"Are you ready to overcome this?"

A pause before he gave his answer. "... As ready as I will ever be."

She pressed the button one more time. "Then let's begin."

* * *

Jaune's vision behind the helm was dark and nothing, till he felt a surge of electricity crawl up his spine, a million tiny electrodes danced upon his vision. Then nothing again. A moment later came the images.

" _Jaune! Yoo hoo! Silly! Hey!"_

A familiar voice called from his right. A voice he had not heard in a long time.

There she was, in her primm, stark white pilot suit. Clear blue eyes that mirrored his and dirty blonde hair that could have been cut from the same cloth as his own.

" _Yo! What's eating you tonight, Bro? You look like you've seen a ghost. We've got a mission to complete, you know. Focus."_

"Louise…" His heart leapt. Everything in him wanted to reach for her. She'd been missing for so long… but there she was. Like she had never left.

 _ **Jaune!**_

Another voice snapped him out of the amazing fantasy playing before him. Glynda's.

 _ **Jaune! It's not real. Or it isn't any more. This is all in your memory.**_

"Right…" He gulped down hard.

 _ **Don't chase the rabbit.**_

"Right… It's a memory."

He had forgotten how real everything could be in the Drift, how easy it was to get lost in its illusions.

 _ **What do you see?**_

His body was going through the motions of that day while his vision was busy glancing all around. "I remember now. Yeah it was a reconnaissance mission through the frostbacks. Somebody had sent out a distress signal from the nearby mountain town, saying they spotted a category two Grimm nearby. We were sent to investigate."

 _ **Okay.**_

"Most likely a creep or a beowolf. Nothing we couldn't handle on our own. Besides most of the pilots had the night off, it was Beacon's formal dance that night. I didn't have a date so I volunteered for the watch. Louise had one… but …"

 _Jaune's vision turned to his imaginary sister once more who looked at him and smiled. "You owe me for this, Bro. I'm missing out on the grandest night of my life cause you wanted to play hero one more night! Why couldn't you have mustered the courage to ask Glynda?! She'd probably say yes!"_

She repeated the same words she had said to him then, though they were meant to have a bite, her playful tone indicated otherwise. She was fine hanging out with him for the night.

 _ **But?...**_

"She chose to pilot with me instead."

The realization hit Jaune. Would she had lived if Jaune had just been a little bit more social and had gone to the dance instead? Would she be here now, with him smiling and laughing, reminiscing about a dance that they had never been to in this lifetime?

 _ **Easy, Jaune. It's not your fault. No one could have predicted what happened next.**_

"Right…" It didn't make the situation any easier, but he appreciated Glynda being there with him. "It began to rain… A drizzle, at first. Than a full on summer storm. I remember saying we should go back."

" _Louise, let's go back! We can't see anything through this storm!" Memory and current Jaune echoed the words._

"But she was determined to see things though." In his memory he saw her face, set in the way that meant nothing he said would change her mind.

" _Something spooked the town, Jaune. And I'm not going to go back without finding what it is."_

Louise was never a quitter. Once she decided to do something, she was bound to continue until she met her goal.

A lightning bolt illuminated the sky and that was when Jaune felt it as a force came from the side.

"We were attacked. Crocea Mors had been sideswiped by a beowolf! "

The reality began to warp back as his senses shook him, adrenaline was kicking in much like it had when he was in real combat.

 _ **Jaune! Breathe! What happened next?**_

"Huh, huh, I uh, We both took it down relatively simply. It was a small one. Even by category two standards. " He was trying to calm his breathing. "We managed to pin it down and break it's neck with ease. But that was when… when we saw it."

His eyes widened as memory began to become reality.

Another bolt of lightning.

This time, they were surrounded. Red gigantic eyes continued to gaze at him from the darkness, against the howling rain.

 _ **What was it, Jaune?**_

"It wasn't alone." Two more larger beowolves began to encircle them, but it was the lone, heavily breathing behemoth in front of Crocea Mors that held his attention. "...Two more of the wolves… and a category three. An Ursa." He whispered the words like they were a live bomb. "Codename, Big Mama."

Big Mama was the name given to the outrageously huge Ursa Grimm that had taken out four of Beacon's Jaegers. It came and went like the wind and there was just no preparing to meet such a monster.

 _ **What did you do?**_

Jaune had to chuckle at the absurd question. As if he was given a choice. "...What else could we have done? We fought, like what we were trained to do. Like there was no tomorrow. Only, that time… there wasn't."

The grating of metal met with the turf of bone plating slicked with warm water as the lone steel giant fought on despite the overwhelming odds.

" _Louise! To your right!"_

" _Got it!" She shouted as she brought down Crocea Mors' thunderous fist upon the Grimm's skull._

 _ **Jaune!**_

He couldn't hear Glynda's voice anymore. He was way too caught in the web of the memory. Too busy trying to defend his sister's life, and his own.

" _Jaune, above!"_

 _He noticed the lunging beowolf and instantly called up his secret weapon. A blade had sprung forth from his fists as he skewered the monstrous beast with ease._

 _ **Jaune! Can you hear me?!**_

" _Got em!"_

 _His victory cry was cut short as Big Mama tackled down their Jaeger. The ground shook with their battle. Time and time again they pounded against each other. But Jaune knew it couldn't last forever. Crocea Mors was buckling against the strength of the beast, and the armaments they had packed were light, meant only for light skirmishes. Not a full on brawl._

" _Bro! We need to move the fighting away from the mountainside! We could cause a landslide here!" Louise shouted out the concern echoing in his own mind._

" _Already ahead of you!"_

 _He was baiting the monsters to fight them away from where they were. At least he was trying to._

 _The remaining beowolf had now been cautious after he had fell the first two, simply satisfied with letting the Ursa do all the work before going in for the kill._

 _He had never seen this before. Cooperation from two different types and classes. It was simply unheard of._

 _But here it was, right before his eyes. This was valuable intel. All he had to do now was make sure they survived long enough to be able to tell someone._

 _Whether it was due to circumstances he couldn't prepare for or maybe because he blinked, he lost focus on the Ursa for a moment before realizing they had been caught in it's death grip._

 _Normally it would have crushed them by now, with it's enormous strength._

 _But Crocea Mors was no ordinary Jaeger. It was a top of the line, Mark III. It didn't crush as easily as the beast expected._

 _And they were no ordinary pilots. They were the hero twins. They were Louise and Jaune Arc, God damn it!_

 _With renewed vigor, knowing that Louise's strength was his strength, they both fought back and broke free of the deadly hold and wrestled the bear Grimm to the ground. And that was when the beowolf chose to strike. It lunged at their right and managed to grab hold of Crocea Mor's right shoulder with it's teeth._

 _Jaune felt the pain and it was intense, it threatened to overcome his senses. One of the downsides of the Neural drift, to be able to move the machine the pilots were often likened to becoming the machine. He felt every bite mark that punctured through Crocea Mor's steel shell. And so did Louise, as she screamed out in pain._

 _They both took hold of the monster that bit them and with an angered determination grabbed hold of it's skull and began to squeeze as hard as they could. With the force and power that could level a mountain, the titanic mech crushed the wolf's skull like a man would crush paper in his palm._

 _They breathed a sigh of relief. Three monsters down. Only one left to go._

 _It was right there and then that he was reminded why mankind lived in fear of the Grimm._

 _With a roar that pierced through the night sky and rivaled the howling wind, the Ursa regained its feet and closed the distance between them. With speed that was unusual for a its size and girth, the Grimm took hold of their left shoulder and tore through it with ease._

 _Jaune felt his arm rip apart from him, he felt the intense pain and shock of such an injury. He was sure he would faint. He gazed to his right. Louise's face was as contorted in pain as his was, but he saw grim determination from it._

" _Configuration: Arm cannon!" she cried out her furious plan._

 _Sure enough, their remaining arm had transformed into a massive pulse cannon, ready to dish out their commands._

 _She fired once and aimed true. It hit the Ursa square in the chest and it reeled backwards in pain._

And here it was. The moment he could never _ever_ forget. On the cusp of their victory, destiny had pulled a fast one.

He remembered the loud piercing cry as metal bent from the power of the Grimm. How the cockpit had been exposed, suddenly, freezingly, terrifyingly open. How those giant red eyes scoured at the two defiant siblings, and with a swipe of its mighty claw severed them both apart.

" _JAUNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

Her words screamed and was forever ingrained in his memory, her hand outstretched to him, crying for help, as she was hurled far up into the black empty sky.

"LOUISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE!"

The images died down as he heard the helmet he had on finally hum and power down. His voice hoarse from screaming, his face dripping with sweat, and was… was that blood coming down from his nose?..

His breath was ragged, he had to take the helmet off.

His first vision was that of Glynda's worried some face as she knelt beside him, with towel in hand.

"Jaune!" She exclaimed as she helped him stop his nosebleed.

So shaken was he from the experience, he didn't even flinch at her touch.

"Hey Doc… Did… did I pass the test?" He asked her, in such a defeated manner.

He already knew the outcome of his fate. Only a fool would have passed him. He had chased the rabbit, and had fallen into the hellhole that was wonderland.

* * *

Glynda stared into Juane's eyes. The pupils were dilated, his gaze unfocused. A less experienced pilot might have suffered brain damage, been unable to break away once they got so deep into the Drift. That Jaune had managed to pull himself back from that brink was impressive, but terrifying. Whether it was because Zero Drift Compatible or just something about him, he just had more of an intuitive knack for these things. Maybe it was just his own instincts from years of being a pilot kicking in, she didn't care. Other than a nose bleed, he seemed to be alright.

"Jaune…" She quickly pressed tissue from the box on her desk up against his bloody nose.

"Hey Doc," he wheezed. "Did… Did I pass the test?"

She shook her head, feeling her curly bangs drift across her shoulders as she did. "Only you would be fool enough to joke at a time like this. Here, I've got more tissue." She turned her back on him for a second to grab a handful, and when she turned back around the door to her office was slamming closed. "Jaune!"

She scrambled to her feet, her high heel turning over as she did. Cursing slightly she regained her balance and charged after him.

 _That fool! Running off after experiencing something like that. He needs to be checked out!_

But as her heels clicked down the hallways chasing his shadow, she knew she was cursing herself too. _I knew that was risky, and I tried it right off the bat._

Chastising herself wouldn't help now. It may have been a risky play, but if he had managed to come through it intact, which it seemed like he had, it was a great start for him. He could recover, potentially. Assuming his brain doesn't fall out of his nose next.

Jaune was easily outpacing Glynda, which wasn't surprising given the shoes she was wearing. She considered slipping them off, but Jaune took a turn into the student dorms, as if he already knew where he was going. Which, of course, made no sense at all. Why on earth would he be going to the student dorms? They hadn't even walked through them on the tour, just acknowledged that they were still in the same building they had been at years ago when he came to school-

Oh. Maybe he wasn't as okay as she had hoped. What if he was trying to go back to his room, but was heading for his old dorm instead of his new residence?

When he belted up three flights of stairs, then took off onto the fourth floor, Glynda was sure that she was right. Clutching a stitch in her side, she clambered up after him - didn't he know they added an elevator when they remolded? - and crashed out the fourth floor door.

Jaune was too far ahead now for her to see him, but she knew she couldn't be far behind. Most of the students were pressed to one side of the hall or the other, glancing around in confusion or staring down the hall as if something, or someone, very strange had just passed through their midsts.

Not giving them time to close ranks, Glynda rushed right down the open hallway. A few surprised students attempted belated salutes, but most just stared in surprise as their second in command, usually so reserved and elite, galloped down their dorm room hallways, with her bun coming loose.

"Stop staring and make way," Glynda called primly to a few students gathered in the hall.

They stepped aside, giggling to each other as they parted. But just around the next corner there was a much larger crowd blocking the way. It didn't matter. She knew this was her end goal. Sure enough, she could see the sandy blonde locks just above the crowd that meant Jaune was already here, at his old dorm room that he used to share with Louise.

"Move aside." She tried to control her heavy breathing and speak as calmly as she could.

Students looked back over their shoulders and many jumped aside as they recognized her. She forced her way easily through the crowd by sheer power of her position, and found herself at its center very quickly.

She had to have been only a few second behind Jaune afterall, because both he and the students who currently resided in the remodeled dorm were both still staring at one another in shock. Blood was dripping freely down Jaune's nose, and he had clearly ripped the door open aggressively, then frozen on the spot. Not only was his old room newly occupied, but it was also larger and much different from how he would have remembered it.

Glynda raised her hands for the students' attention. "Everyone, please, clear out. This is just a misunderstanding. Move along." For a moment no one moved. "Do _not_ make me repeat myself."

There. Now they were all jumping. As the hall was clearing itself she turned to the room. "I'm sorry," Jaune was saying, but his voice was mostly drowned out by the crowd. "I thought… I mean this used to be…"

"His room," Glynda finished for him, stepping forward. "Our apologies, Mister Lie. A simple misunderstanding." She raised her eyebrow at the two students lolling about on the bed. "Miss Valkyrie, however…" The girl went scarlet. "I think perhaps you should return to your own rooms. Immediately."

The red-headed girl leapt up, her face flaming, and giggled as she brushed past them in the doorway. Glynda shook her head, feeling her curls brush across her shoulders. More of her hair was coming down. The boy, Ren, seemed unmoved by any of this. "You are welcome to spend time with your Drift partner, Mister Lie, but not inside the dormitories. I will overlook it - this once - but I expect school rules to be obeyed."

The dark haired young man sporting a pink streak across his bangs shrugged nonchalantly and Glynda closed the door on him.

She turned back to Jaune, but a few lingerers still lined the hallways. "I said move along, Mister Vasilias. Now you've made me repeat myself. Would you like a demerit before classes even start?"

"My bad, Miss!" A hand quickly saluted against sky-blue hair and the teen darted off.

Glynda turned to Jaune. This was not the place to talk about anything. "Follow me," she told him simply, and began to head down the hall.

After about ten steps later it came to her attention that he was not following. Rolling her eyes in exasperation, she spun about and went back for him. "Jaune, can you hear me?"

His face was sweaty and there was blood still running from his nose. His eyes too were unfocused, and his breathing rapid and shallow. Maybe he isn't alright...

Stealing herself, Glynda reached forward and firmly and held out her open hand. "Jaune. Come with me. I'll take you home."

Slowly, his eyes came to hers. After another heartbeat, they seemed to focus on her. His breathing slowed to a more normal pace. "Come on," she encouraged him, shaking her hand so it got his attention.

Jaune reached for it. She caught his hand in her own, and turned, pulling him gently after her.

His feet dragged, but she was okay with a slower pace. She was tired from the strange chase too. Slowly, they made their way down the elevator, out of the student dorms, and to the teacher's rooms. Glynda simply walked, hand in hand, and Jaune trailed behind her as they both cooled off. They stepped off the elevator on the third floor, his floor. She walked him down the hall to his room and turned back to look at him.

His head was hung, his cheeks red beneath his bangs. His shoulders slumped in defeat. She cleared her throat gently. "Jaune… the key?"

He flushed redder and moved forward quickly to unlock the unfamiliar door. "Thanks," he muttered, clearly intending to close it on her.

"Ah-uh!" she exclaimed, sticking the toe of her shoe into the open doorframe. "Jaune, you came out of a rough drift. I have to check you out."

"I'm fine, really."

"It's here or my offices." Her tone gave him no choice on the matter.

"Fine." He let go of the door, and she opened it and stepped in.

After closing it behind them then reached up to touch her hair. It was practically loose now, the bun completely destroyed. Sighing, she pulled the pin out of it and felt her locks fall down about her shoulders. She started to twist it back up, then glanced at the pin. There were supposed to be two pins.

She patted her head, but… nothing. It must have come out when I was running. Cursing slightly, she gave it up as a bad job, and let go of her golden tresses. Her hair rolled down and fell in loose curls half way down her back. She stuffed the pin she had in the waist of her skirt and turned to face Jaune.

He was on the couch, head still hanging dejectedly. Gently, she came over and sat beside him. His nose seemed to have stopped bleeding, but there was still red across his upper lip. "Are you ready to talk again?" she asked in her best therapy voice, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

"Ah, I'm an idiot!" he confessed. "It's this place! It's so familiar, but so different! I keep getting turned around. I'm making a fool of myself already."

"It is natural to be disoriented after a Drift. Please don't blame yourself. Very few people could have handled that particular Drift the way you did-"

"It wasn't the Drift," Jaune groaned, his hands swinging violently away from his face. "I was lost before that. I mean, did you really have to change so much, Glyn? I liked this place the way it was before."

His eyes finally turned up to hers, and she felt her breath catch. There was so much pain and sadness in them. The way Jaune acted the rest of the day was so chipper and carefree, but now she was seeing into the heart of him. And he was hurting.

"I changed things," she admitted. "We needed to change to grow and… Well, to be perfectly honest, I tried to make things here, um… perfect. I wanted everything about this place to work perfectly, be in the perfect place to make life easy for everyone… I wanted it all just right. So it took a lot of work, but… Here we are."

"Why?" he asked, his face puzzled.

"We've grown, a lot," she admitted. "Many more students meant we had to change accommodations to fit. Classes too. And advancements in technology meant changes to engineering…" She trailed off. He wasn't listening. She went for a new track. Honesty. "Mostly, Jaune, I wanted things to be perfect for you… when you came back."

He jerked. She had his attention again. "For me?"

"Yes." She crossed her heals primly. "Do you remember what it was like, back when we were in school?"

He frowned. "I remember lots from back then. What exactly…?"

"For us, I meant," she clarified. "I came here because Oz wanted to utilize you and Louise more. He felt that, since you were both Zero Drift compatible, having you two paired with each other was a waste. He wanted you to expand your horizons, and to try melding with other pilots." Despite all of this being simple fact, she still felt a touch of red come to her cheek as she said it. "I was supposed to be that pilot for you. But… things never quite worked out, huh?"

Jaune snorted, and then winced. He rubbed at the blood on his face, smearing it across his cheek. After a moment, he spoke. "You always tried to be perfect back then too." He shrugged. "I didn't like it. I don't… I mean I can't wear a mask like you always do. I'm just the same idiot everywhere I go. I could never win money from people, or make them think I was worthwhile just by smiling at them. But, lately, I've felt a bit like I did have a mask on. I felt like… maybe if I could just pretend that everything was okay, then it would be. Looks like it's not working. I couldn't fool you, Glyn."

Glynda tapped her knee for a moment before continuing. "Do you know why I asked to do your evaluation?" Jaune shook his head. "Because I thought you would need a friend in all this, not just someone clinical. I had hoped… to be that friend. But I see now that I can't expect you to be honest with me if I'm not with you. I suppose things were always that way with us. You can't fool me, but.. I can't fool you either."

He grinned slightly. "Things tend to work out like that once you've Drifted together."

She smiled back. "True. You alone have seen the disordered, emotional chaos that goes on inside my skull, Jaune Arc. So my 'perfect mask' is wasted on you now."

"Yeah - to be honest, I like that Glynda much better. You always keep the best parts of you hidden from the world."

"I still don't get what you mean by that."

He leaned back in the seat as he chuckled. "Okay then, you said you wanted to be honest. About what?"

She nodded. "I… Okay, um… For example, when I said I wanted this place to be perfect for you I really meant that. After you left… I kept thinking that you'd come back, you know? But eventually Oz started trying to find me another partner who I was compatible with. But… no one came along. We looked for a long time, and eventually, I just stopped really looking. Instead I busied myself with other things, to fill the time. Things like managing the school, drafting new students, seeking out funding… I was really good at it. But somewhere along the line, I stopped believing I would find anyone else I was Drift compatible with. However, I never stopped believing that one day you would come back. I think I always knew you better than anyone else, except Louise. I knew you would need to be here again, to pilot a Jaeger, to fight. So I kept working so that when you came back, everything would be ready."

"I bet you didn't expect that I wouldn't be," Jaune muttered.

Glynda shook her head and the full weight of her curls tickled her chin. "I am fully prepared for whatever you throw at me, Jaune. I know you, unlike anyone else. Maybe even better than you know yourself." She reached out and turned his chin towards her, so their eyes met. Then she started to gently wipe the smeared blood from his cheek. "You see today as a failure, that you didn't pass. But I never expected you to. I see today as a beginning. You are still amazing at Drift. You controlled something that would have completely ruined anyone else. Yes, you have some baggage. But trust me, we can work through that. Now that I know what we're dealing with, I can assure you, you will pilot a Jaeger again. Before this school year is up."

Jaune's eyes had gone wide. "But I… I was a mess in there!"

Glynda smiled. "An honest mess. If you keep being honest with me, I'll be honest with you too. You will pilot again. We just have some spring cleaning to do - and I'm great at cleaning."

Jaune chuckled.

"Will you trust me, and work with me? Not just try and convince me you're okay, but to talk to me until you really are?" Glynda asked him, still holding his chin so he couldn't look away.

The silly grin came back to his face, and he saluted. "I'm all yours, Miss."

She smiled grimly. "Then prepare for some intense work. I'll see you in my offices tomorrow night, after classes. Agreed?"

"On my honor," he promised. "And Glyn? You should let your hair down more often. You look younger."

She flushed bright red and stood straight up off the couch, letting his chin go. She spun about so he couldn't see her face.

"Tomorrow night!" she ordered as she marched to the door. "No excuses."

He must have followed her because as she pulled the door open, his hand reached over her shoulder and caught it, holding it firmly so she couldn't escape. She felt her skin tingle with his breath on the back of her neck. "Glynda," he said, quietly, and her hand shook. "Thank you. For everything."

She felt her shoulders relax a little. "You're welcome."

He released the door and she stepped out, heading down the hall to the elevator. Not until its doors closed behind her, carrying her up to the fourth floor, did she completely relax.

Even after all these years, he could still get under her skin in a way no one else could. She was counting on her ability to do that to him, but she knew she had to be careful not to let him get the upper hand. She had to open up and expose her vulnerabilities to him so that he would do the same to her, but somehow she had to maintain control. It was going to be one of the hardest challenges she had ever undertaken, but she couldn't give up on him. She had been preparing herself for this day for a long time, and she was going to get him back in a Jaeger if it killed her.

The elevator dinged. She crossed the hall and opened the door to her own private quarters. The plush carpet and gentle pink walls immediately helped put her at ease. She glanced out the window across the school she had built, but all she could see was Jaune's goofy grin.

 _This is going to be a bumpy ride._


	5. Chapter 4:School Of Hard Knocks

**Author's note:**

 **We went back and re-did the scene with Glynda, something about it was off the first time round and found myself needing to clean it up a bit. It's much better now, in my opinion. Once again, thank you for all who left me reviews, it let's me know where and how do you guys want the story to proceed so it helps me a lot.**

* * *

 **Project Jaeger**

 **Chapter 4: School Of Hard Knocks**

* * *

"How do I look?" He nervously adjusted his tie, frankly he didn't think it would happen so soon but Ozpin was never one to chide or jest.

When he said he was going to start on the morrow, he meant it.

And so Jaune stood in front of his mirror, haplessly moving his tie around to and fro. The clean red tie played well into his clean pressed button up and black suit.

"Would you stop that?" Glynda lightly tapped him on the shoulder, before moving forward to adjust the tie for him. An intimate act, but Glynda didn't seem too shy about it. Jaune couldn't help but stare at those green globes he'd always been secretly fond of. "Such a child. You look fine, stop fidgeting so much."

"Thanks." Least he could do was put on a smile for her."Just I dunno, the idea of walking up there and talking up in front of all those faces… it's my third grade recital all over again."

"It was your second," she amusingly remarked."I've been in your head, remember?"

"Oh god, that's even worse." Jaune now vividly recalled the forgotten memory.

"Jaune. You've faced gigantic, monstrous creatures and haven't batted an eye but a group of people in a room together can make you shake in your boots?" The green eyed instructor shook her head.

"One, they're loafers. And two, It's the cold, blank staring that I can't stand." Jaune tried to laugh it off. "Well… Here goes nothing. Wish me luck, Glyn." He gave his colleague and friend one last look.

"You don't need it, 'Archangel'. Go out there and just be yourself. The students will accept that." He wished he had her confidence.

"That's pretty much my plan A, B, all the way to Z."

He had one foot outside the door before he hesitated. "On second thought, I think I'm just going to change into something more comfortable."

Glynda only looked at him and shook her head in annoyance before sighing.

* * *

 _Was it this way?_ Jaune scratched his head as he tried to remember where his classroom was. _Glynda just shows me this yesterday! Come on Jaune!_

He knew he was close, in the right building for sure. But no matter which way he went, room forty seven illuded him. He followed the forties up, but they stopped at forty five. But he knew he couldn't go up a floor because the fifth floor was all fifties. Growling at himself, he backtracked until he found a hall he had missed. Forty six..

 _Okay, this has to be it!_

The bell rang.

 _Dammit._

He hustled the last few step to number forty seven and slid the door open as the sound of the bell faded.

A classroom full of first years students looked up as he entered. One of them laughed. "You didn't have to wear your pilot suit today," a girl in a black and red dress called out to him. "They said the first week is classroom only." She grinned.

She was young, even for a first year, so he knew right away who she must be. Ruby Rose. He had read about her in the roster yesterday. Which meant… He groaned. Sure enough, her bombshell of an older sister was peering over her shoulder. Yang, he recalled. "Hey hey!" she cheered, giving him a goofy salute. "It's aviator glasses guy! Who knew we were in the same class!"

Jaune tried everything in his power not to flush red. "Actually, I-"

A student suddenly bumped into him from behind. "Hey man! Get outta the door!" A boy with a completely unbuttoned shirt pushed past him. "Dude, find a seat before teach gets here!"

A boy with light blue hair patted a chair and the blonde, unbuttoned boy plopped down beside him. "Lucky break again," the blue one teased his slouching friend. "How do you always get away with being late?"

"Okay," Jaune tried again. "Excuse me everyone, but-"

"Hey, whatcha reading?"

"Give it back!"

A girls with a short, auburn haircut had snatched a book out of the hands of the beautiful black haired Blake in the front row. "Oooooh! This looks fancy. There are no pictures."

A boy in green robes plucked the book out of the auburn's hands. Jaune hesitated as he recognized the boy as the one who was now staying in his old dorm. "That's rude, Nora." He handed it back to Blake. "Find a chair or you'll get in trouble," he added, sitting down himself.

"Why?" the girl named Nora asked. "Teacher's not here."

"I wouldn't bet on that," the boy answered, but no one listened to him.

"What do we need a homeroom teacher for anyway?" the blonde half-dressed, boy was asking. "We have to meet here before regular classes every Monday, and why? So we can cry about our feelings? Boo-hoo." His friend high-fived him.

"Okay, enough!" a loud voice rang out. Jaune looked to the last student he hadn't noticed and he took a step back. It was Weiss Schnee. "Everyone shut up, and salute!" she followed her own advice, holding the salute until the others joined her.

"Salute who?" The girl called Nora asked, puzzled.

"Him," the boy with the pink streak answered calmly, pointing at Jaune.

"Why?" asked the blonde from the plane - Yang! - he had to remember their names.

"Because, you nitwit," Weiss barked. "He's the teacher." _Well, so much for my cool points with her,_ Jaune thought dejectedly as she rescued him from his own class.

"Pfffbha!" Nora spat out a laugh. "That kid? In the pilot suit? He's not a teacher."

"Um, actually… I am." Jaune straightened his bomber jacket casually and tried to stand taller. "I'm Professor Jaune Arc, and I apologize for my tardiness. This is my first lesson. Also, here at Beacon we don't call our Professors 'Teacher'. I will be your Lead Drift _Instructor_."

Everyone stared at him for a moment, then about half the class decided to believe him. The dark haired boy stood for a salute and his auburn friend followed. The boy with the sky-blue hair jumped up and elbowed his half-dressed friend until he did the same. Blake closed her book, eyeing Jaune with a calculating look, and stood to salute as well. After a moment, of gaping about, Ruby leapt up and saluted too.

"Well, paint me purple and call me a fool." Yang tossed her blonde locks over her shoulder and stood beside her sister. "Nice to meet you, Prof." She saluted more seriously, but added a wink.

"No need for formalities." Jaune was flushing slightly. He didn't look that young, did he? "At ease. Take your seats."

He paced over to the front of the classroom and dropped off his bag behind the desk. "Okay, so I believe the first question was why do we need homeroom?" The students, all still slowly taking their seats, glanced up at him curiously.

"Actually," Yang spoke up, raising her hand casually after she began talking. "I think the first question is, _who_ are you?"

"I just said that. I'm Professor Jaune Arc, your homeroom advisor." He glanced at her puzzled.

"Yeah, I heard that," she replied. "But like, _who_ are you? Why are you teaching this class?"

Weiss rolled her eyes behind Yang. "Oh come on." Her tone was quite condescending. "You don't know who Jaune Arc is? And you want to be a pilot?"

"Oh My GOD!" her sister gasped beside her. "I know, I know! Ohhhh, pick me!"

But Yang was glaring at Weiss and Jaune felt a challenge coming on. "Hey, hey! Cut it out you two. It's been awhile since I was in the game. Not everyone knows me like they know you, Miss Weiss."

Yang crossed her armed, annoyed.

In the seat over from the bombshell, Blake opened her book back up and passed it to the blonde. "Jaune Arc. He and his sister Louise Arc piloted the Jaeger mark III known as Crocea Mors and were the first to battle against the Grimm known as Big Mama and live to tell the tale." She stated, committing the fact from the book to memory. Jaune felt a lump rise up in his throat. "Including the Big Mama they have over forty one confirmed Grimm kills. He retired four years ago."

"Retired?" The boisterous girl in the back asked perking up. "Why would anyone ever retire?"

"Um, hello?" Weiss asked back. "Didn't you see the statue outside the dorms?" The other girl shrugged and Weiss buried her head in her hands.

Ruby didn't seem able to contain herself any longer. "It was a huge thing four years ago! All over the news. His sister, Louise, die-... um, was lost when they fought Big Mama. He was the _only_ survivor. "

It was only than than Ruby realized the context of what she said as she looked at Jaune with apologetic eyes. "...sorry."

"Ooooh!" the short-haired girl said in understanding. Then, in a much different, more empathetic tone. "Ooooooh…"

All of the students were looking at him differently now.

He took a big swallow.

Well it's not like his piloting history was a big kept secret, but he wasn't trying to advertise it for the whole world either. He could only play along for now. He was just going to have to make them move on.

"Alright, enough about me. The reason we have homeroom is actually to talk about all of you. You all came here to be pilots, right?" There was solemn nodding from all the students. "Well, as you just heard, I've been there, done that. I am here to be a personal guide to each and every one of the eight of you for all three years you will be here. If you have any issues, it is my job to be on your side and to help you through them. A lot of problems you may face, I have likely been through before."

"Yeah, I'll bet," muttered the blue-haired boy.

Jaune ignored him. "So, in the idea of making this an open place, I think we should all start with our names and something about yourselves." He gestured towards the blonde boy sitting beside the door.

He shifted as if it was a bother, then stood up with a bit of a hop. "I'm Sun. I'm here with my Drift partner Nep." The blue-haired boy waved. "We actually did a year at a military camp already, but it wasn't a good fit. Oz scouted us out, so we transferred here. The dress code is way less strict." He lowered his voice to a whisper and winked at Blake, who rolled her eyes sourly.

"Not _that_ much less," Jaune pitched in. "You can wear what you want, but please at least button your shirt, huh?"

Sun shrugged and sat down to do so, high fiving his buddy as he stood. "And I'm Neptune Vasilias, his partner. We found out we were Drift compatible when we were twelve, so we've been preparing to be pilots ever since. We're looking forward to a fresh start here at Beacon even if we have to repeat a few classes. We'll try not to blow the rest of you away," he concluded with a cocky smirk.

Next Yang and Ruby stood. "Hi, I'm Ruby!" the younger said with a wave.

"I'm Yang," the blonde added easily. "Our mothers were both pilots, and our dad's an engineer, so it was kind of a no brainer for us to come here."

"We're half-sisters," Ruby put in. "Yang had a wait to start classes for a few years until I was old enough that Oz said I could come. But now we're here, and we're like _SUPER EXCITED,_ so um… yeah!" She clicked her heels together and promptly sat down, her sister following suit.

Behind them Weiss stood. "I'm Weiss…" she hesitated half a second before continuing on with her last name. "Weiss Schnee." There was immediate muttering. "I'm here to start in the pilot program because, well this is the best school to become a pilot at. I'm accompanied by a compatible partner my company found for me and sponsored… Um… Blake?"

The dark haired girl sitting across the room from her partner stood and shook her head. "I'm Blake. And now, as you all know, I am a first year pilot sponsored by the Schnee company. Yippy." She twirled her fingers in fake excitement, then sat back down without another word.

"So… you two have never met before today?" the girl with auburn hair pipped up.

"No, we've met a few times," Weiss answered. "But only formally. However, I look forward to a good year with all of you, Blake included!" She waved like a princess on a float and sat back down.

Jaune looked at the last two students, the girl who had just spoken and her green robed friend. "Oh, I'm Nora Valkyrie!" the girl said, jumping to her feet and reaching forward to pull her partner up next to her. "And this is Ren Lie. Say 'hi' Ren!" He waved a hand half heartedly. "He, ah… doesn't talk much… But don't worry! I talk plenty for both of us!"

"I can see that," Jaune chuckled. "How'd you two decide to become pilots?"

"Ren and I have been together _forever,_ and I mean _forever!"_ Nora launched into her story. "We grew up in the same foster home, so kind of like brother and sister, only way not. But we're the same age and went to the same schools and have all the same friends-"

"We were tested in middle school like Sun and Neptune," Ren spoke up.

"And can you believe it! We were compatible!" Nora exclaimed. "Well, I wasn't really surprised, I mean, come on, how could we not be?" She snorted. "I mean, we're like, best friends and all!"

Ren waved her down "It's not like we had anything better to do with our lives. So we took the scholarship and came here."

"And I have to say, this school is AWESOME! They served the best food! I am so glad we came here!" Nora clapped her hands together in excitement.

The next and last student in line was Blake, but she had already gone, so Jaune waved Nora to take her seat again and stood up himself. "People who are able to Drift are rare, people who have found a compatible partner are even rarer. This school will teach you how to fight, how to tend your gear, the kind of Grimm you'll be up against, and much more. But your bonds with your partners are what will make or break your ability to succeed here in the school. Support each other. A Drift partner is once in a lifetime for most people, so hang onto them, respect them, and understand that here you will get to know them inside and out. For better or for worse, your relationship with your partner will change drastically as you start to Drift with them. Neptune, Sun, I'm assuming you two have already Drifted? What can you tell the class about it?"

The bell rang.

"Well, next time then," Jaune concluded. "I'll see you all next Monday. Remember, if you ever need me outside of class, to the eight of you I am always available."

"Thanks, Teach," Neptune said with a nod of his head as he and Sun scooped up their bags.

Nora and Ren stayed in their seats, clearly indicating they had his class next, which made sense. His next class was a beginner's guide to Drifting with a partner. If they had just been selected recently, they would be new to the whole Drift experience.

"You didn't tell me you were a teacher," Blake spoke up, stepping up to his desk.

"Instructor," he corrected."Besides, You seemed to have figured it out all on your own," Juane pointed out, gesturing at her book.

Blake shrugged. "Weiss recognized your name. I should have."

Jaune glanced sideways, his view completely on the heiress. "Thanks for the save, by the way."

Weiss waved her hand as if to say it was nothing. "Teaching is like leading. You just have to take control sometimes. What's our next class Blake?"

"This is," Blake said. "Drift 101, for _idiots_ like us who have never truly tested our compatibility." She stated this deadpan as she looked down her nose at her partner.

"Oh… well, back to our seats then!" Weiss laughed weakly.

"Girls," Juane spoke up. "Sit together?" They nodded, apparently a bit annoyed, but switched seats anyway.

More students were coming into the room and finding chairs, but Yang was leaning against his desk waiting her turn. "So, Professor," Yang stated in a sultry voice. Jaune immediately felt his pulse quicken. _She's a student! She's a student! Why? Why are they all so hot!?_ "Rubes and I have your class next too. Technically we haven't ever Drifted together, but I have to let you in on a little secret. Our dad is a drift engineer."

"That isn't a secret," Jaune reminded her. "It's on your transcript and you just told us."

Yang rolled her eyes and leaned in closer. "The secret is that, obviously, we have Drifted. Just not… officially. But we've done it plenty of times." She winked at him. "We'll be your star pupils."

 _Damnit! Stop being all flirty! I'm your teacher! I mean instructor!_ But he forced the reaction down and said instead, "Sounds… excellent. Um, please take your seats again then…"

Yang gave him a winning smiled and walked back into her chair, her skirt bouncing as she walked away. Then another girl stepped up to him, and this time, he didn't know her.

The girl - no the young woman - actually looked down at him. She felt as tall as he was, contrary to what was actually evident. He was taller, but she made him feel small, her presence and confidence were captivating. "Hello, Professor Arc." She smiled and he felt that it was somewhat sad, and lovely all the same. "I'm your T.A., Pyrrha Nikos. Did Miss Goodwitch tell you about me?"

"I… yes?"

Jaune gulped hard. Glynda had told him he would have a T.A. She hadn't told him who, just that she would probably be able to teach the class herself if Jaune had any problems. But she had failed to mention what an amazingly beautiful woman the T.A. was! She was like the perfect athlete, lithe, tall, well muscled, but not in a way that turned you off. Every line about her was feminine and strong and lovely. She had shockingly red hair tied up in a ponytail that swung whenever she moved. Her smile was perfect, even if a bit sad, and her emerald eyes were… well to die for. One look at her, and Jaune felt immediately that this was the kind of girl that men would go on quests for to the end of the world in hopes of impressing her.

The bell rang.

He had been staring at her for almost a whole minute now without saying anything.

"I… uh…"

"First day jitters?" Pyrrha asked knowingly. She patted his arm gently. "Don't worry. I will start us off."

She lifted a clipboard off his desk and began roll call. When it was finished, she introduced him as teacher and lead the class in a salute. Then she went over the syllabus introduction of the class, the required books needed, where the homework would be posted, and when they should begin dressing for Drifting in pilot suits.

Jaune just watched her in amazement.

She was completely captivating. He kept watching her ponytail swing about, and the shadow of a sadness in her cheerful demeanor. He recognized that look. It was the same one he wore every day. Chipper, perky, even the fool, trying to make sure everyone knew he was okay. He wondered what had put that look in this young woman's eyes. He would have to look up her transcript later.

Suddenly he became aware that she was turning the class over to him.

"Oh, um… yes. Miss Nikos is correct," he paraphrased her speech quickly. "Next week we will be beginning your first sessions in the Drift. We have a lot of training to do before then, to prepare you for what it will be like. But for everyone, your first time can be very difficult. If you don't succeed at first, don't despair." He found himself echoing what Glynda had told him the night before. "Even failure gives us a place to start from. If you work with me and trust me, I will get you all Drifting before the end of the year. But if you shut out your partners, or myself, you will have a hard time of this class.

"I say your partners or myself, because I am an instructor uniquely qualified to teach this subject, or so they tell me. I am Zero Drift Compatible. Who knows what that means?"

Blake's hand shot into the air, followed by Weiss' though she looked more surprised. "Yes." He nodded to them.

"That means that you are compatible with literally anyone else who can Drift," Weiss stated, her tone somewhat reverent.

"Less than point one percent of people in this world are Zero Drift Compatible," Blake added, her tone more skeptic.

"Well it would be completely no one if not for the rare anomaly like myself," Jaune put in. "This doesn't mean I am more skilled at Drifting than anyone else, but it means I have lots of experience from my days as a pilot, and also that I have worked with more than one partner before. Starting today, I am going to work with each of you individually and help you all become cohesive teammates for your Drift partners. So I will be Drifting with you all too, to a degree. That means you will need to trust me like you do your partner so that I can help guide you through the initial steps of Drifting. Are there any questions?"

Almost every hand went in the air.

Jaune sighed and rubbed his temple as Pyrrha started calling on people. He had two more classes after this, and he was supposed to meet with Glynda that evening.

This was going to be a long day.

* * *

His first day introduction was long.

His day… even longer.

It was four in the afternoon by the time Jaune had been through all his assigned classes for the day. So why was he in _The Room_ out of all the places in Beacon, working up a sweat beating the crap out of a punching bag?

 _The Room._

Or the red box as it was affectionately called, was the training room that forged all junior Rangers to be the pilots that they were. This was where they were tested beyond their physical limits.

Where he used to be tested.

Jaune was breathing hard as his partner in crime was swinging casually, waiting for him to make the next move.

Too long.

Jaune had been out of practice for too long.

He could tell. What was something he did with ease now caused his body tremendous effort to pull out the same results he had been able to produce years ago.

He clicked his tongue in frustration as he sucked in some air and continued to get back to work.

No guts, no glory.

If he truly was to be the future generation's instructors he couldn't ask them to do things he wasn't fully capable of himself.

Pyrrha certainly wouldn't let them.

His mind continued to wander around the subject of the red haired beauty. _Pyrrha Nikos. Age 18, Graduated with honors from Beacon Academy. Daughter of Hector and Miriam Nikos, renowned pilots of the Mark II Jaeger, Wild Ambition. Currently holding a teaching credential at Beacon Academy after the Kalos Incident._

Jaune recited and committed to memory Pyrrha's history from her file and always one word came to mind.

Legendary.

This woman had single handedly been Beacon's top weapon against the Grimm since he had left the academy and she had done so with ease. Sixty eight confirmed Grimm Kills. Sixty eight sorties. Sixty eight total victory.

Pyrrha alongside her father had been the light that kept the darkness at Bay. And for everyone to say she was done all because of a stupid…

Jaune heavily pounded the bag harder than ever.

It was sad.

It was too sad, he thought.

It must be why he was so drawn to those melancholic green eyes.

For someone so talented to be locked up here...

She could still keep going.

She just needed a partner to be able to lend to her strength.

"Mind if I join you?"

They say, Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

In this case… the devil was in the form of one very alluring Pyrrha Nikos, in black trim track pants and a cut out matching black tank top. Her luscious red mane tied in the classic pony tail she was so fond of.

He looked around and found no one else. So she must be talking to him.

Yet all he could seem to do was stop and stare at this woman.

"Um… Instructor Arc?" She waved casually at him.

"Hmm? Oh. Oh! I'm sorry. I wasn't-" _Way to go Jaune._

He smiled, covering up his faulty beginning. "Please. I'd welcome the company."

He beckoned for her to join him. "Actually I was hoping for a more… livelier course." She stated.

Oh my goodness… was that what kids nowadays called it?! He didn't know Pyrrha could be so… bold.

"Pyrrha I'm flattered but we only just met and I thought we could start of as friends and-"

She gave him a puzzled look. "I'm... sorry? I'm not sure I follow. I was hoping for an exhibition match with you… in the ring."

Jaune instinctively straightened himself out as he gave his thoughts an inner beatdown. … _What did we say about mind in the gutter, Arc?_

"Instructor Arc?"

 _I'm an idiot._

Could he fully blame himself though? Beacon Academy was teeming with lovely ladies. It wasn't his fault he'd been self-exiled to a town with little to no women around his own age.

He shook the thought aside.

"I'm sorry, I heard ya. But are you sure? I mean I haven't been in the ring in so long… you probably wouldn't even break a sweat." He nervously laughed despite his real concerns. Pyrrha's files had dubbed her _The Invincible Girl of Mistral._ Could he even compete with someone with invincible in their title?

Her green graze solemnly looked at his person. "I'm sure you'll be fine." She finally smiled and did that smile make his heart skip a beat. If She was gorgeous before Pyrrha had definitely caught his attention now. "After all… you're the hero of Vale."

She said it with such confidence Jaune couldn't doubt the sincerity of those words. If she had that much confidence in him, how could he not?

"Okay… alright. You're on Miss Nikos." He grinned proudly.

"Splendid." she returned his gaze as she gestured to the boxed arena before them.

Louise always said the best way to get to know someone intimately… was to beat them down the mat til you knew every inch of of their character.

He always thought that was a little extreme but Jaune was definitely curious about the redhead before him.

Well…what could possibly go wrong with one _friendly_ sparring match?


	6. Chapter 5:Scars of the Heart

**Author's Note: Boy did this take a long time to write. But finally I did it. Still haven't decided on the pairing. But I'd rather build the world around Jaune first before fully committing to a particular ship. Good news for people still trying to vote for their favorite girl. Anyway let me know what you guys think!**

* * *

 **Project: Jaeger**

 **Chapter 5:Scars of the Heart**

* * *

"Augh…" The blonde Jaeger pilot couldn't help but groan through the phone call, though he hoped his sister wouldn't pick up on his weariness.

Unlucky for him, however was that of all his sisters, Charlotte was the most perspective one of the bunch.

"Long night at Beacon, Little brother?" He could hear the amusement from her tone.

"Oh? And what gave that away?" Jaune smirked as he slowly and painfully bent over to apply the ice pack on his sore knee cap. He met the cold, tender embrace and it felt like heaven. Thank God for small comforts like it.

"Haha. Let's just say a sister knows."

"Are you sure it wasn't my incessant groaning?"

"I just thought that was what you sounded like normally."

A pause, followed up by a familiar light laughter. Moments like this were precious to Jaune. God only knew he had few of them. Part of being a family meant that he and his siblings had to grow up eventually. And with growing up came separation, as the girls and he found their callings in life. But he never lost touch with what was important. He always made sure to call his sisters whenever he could.

Well, whenever one of them would pick up their scroll, anyway. Charlotte however was usually receptive to being reached. A socialite and the darling of the art world, his sister was famous for her ability to bring life to the stone statues she sculpted. And not to toot his own family's horn, but even Jaune was impressed by his sister's creations. It was too bad he couldn't attend her upcoming art gallery. When she heard the news of his return to the Jaeger program she had flipped out on him at first, until much reasoning and apologizing won her over to his side (she always was a softie). His twenty four year old sibling relented and gave her consent on the promise that he would call once a week when he found the time.

" _You've drifted apart since Louise… you have other siblings too, you know."_

She was right, he didn't need to be reminded, but it was about time he allowed himself to heal. Starting with mending bonds with his family seemed to be the right step.

A fair price to be paid.

"Well, what was it?" she continued,"A blonde? A brunette? A saucy redhead?"

"It was a redhead-" Jaune subconsciously answered. His eyes widened a moment later, fully realizing the meaning of his words. "Wait. no!"

Too late.

"Oh my! Jaune! I didn't know you had a thing for redheads!" his sister teased.

"It wasn't like that."

"Heard that one from Marie before."

"I'm serious, Char. We were just sparring! That's all!"

"Is that what kids are calling it nowadays?" The teasing never ended with the Arc girls and Charlotte was a of the master of the game.

"Char!" he could feel the heat emit from his face.

Yes, Pyrrha Nikos was _insanely_ attractive as were the majority of the girls of Beacon. But his sisters were the last people in the world who needed to know that. They didn't need further ammunition to use against him.

"Alright, alright. No need to get all huffy about it, Mr. Big-Boy-Pants."

Jaune sighed. Your four year old self admits once to wearing those on camera and the teasing monicker sticks forever.

"Seriously, though how's your day?" Despite her constant laughing, Charlotte never failed to ask what was truly important.

"Exhausting." Jaune admitted as he recalled the day's events with her.

It had started with the uneasy first day jitters, than his failed evaluation with Glynda, his brutally long day with the classroom and his students, etc. Charlotte listened intently, without intervening. She was always one of the better listeners, not as good as Marie, but good enough that he had shared a secret or two with her before. Still his tale wasn't unpleasant. He ended his story with the sparring match against Pyrrha Nikos.

It wasn't a complete beatdown, like he thought it would. Heck, given the time he had been away he was surprised he remembered a lot of the Ranger's fighting techniques and held his own. But eventually the night concluded with Pyrrha slamming him down hard on the mat for the one moment he let his guard down. And if Jaune was honest with himself, it felt a little like she was holding back.

Something he promised wouldn't happen again. He still had a pride as a Ranger.

"-I'm telling you, Sis. This girl… she was something else."

Perhaps he shouldn't have said that in such a forlorn tone.

"Oh? Sounds like you're fond of this, Pyrrha."

"I mean… It's not like… well she is kinda cute-"

That was all the cue his sister seemed to need. Soon afterwards all the blonde Ranger could hear was tapping on the line, like… wait a minute...

"Hey, are you looking her up?"

"Why, Jaune I have no idea what you're- Oh my gosh, Jaune she's gorgeous!"

He sighed. That was his fault. He probably should have known Charlotte's curiosity would get the best of her the second she heard Pyrrha was a girl. His doomed love life was one of her favorite topics. Any girl he had ever presented to her, Charlotte was quick to analyze and ready to "ship" them together, regardless of how he felt.

"An All-Remnant state champion, a professional athlete, and named person of the year twice by Atlas weekly! Mmmm, there are some nice pictures here. Do you think she'd be fine modeling for me?. Wait, did you know she's on the box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Cereal?"

"Yeah, she's some- wait, she is?"

Jaune had to look that up. Within seconds he could validate Charlotte's claim. "We'll I'll be." There she was, on the cover of one of his favorite cereals growing up, like a celebrity. "How out of touch am I? She never mentioned…"

 _Of course she'd never mention it, dummy. What was she going to say? "By the way, I'm on some cereal box?"_ That would have made for some awkward conversation.

Still… if he wasn't impressed before, he surely was now. Her files never mentioned her public success, just the bare essentials of her Ranger career. Maybe it was something he could use, something to talk about. Pyrrha was polite enough to him but he could tell she was still trying to figure out how to approach him.

If he was going to be a successful teacher here he would definitely need her help. Pyrrha knew the New Beacon. She was New Beacon. He needed to adapt to that as soon as he could.

The youngest born of the Arc family was than quick to steer the conversation elsewhere otherwise Charlotte would have been at it forever.

He had been with her on the phone close to an hour now, but Jaune hardly thought of it. He missed hearing his sister's voice. It was a comfort no brother would forget. "So… have you been to the newest courtyard there yet?

"No, not really. I haven't been able explore all of the new sides of Beacon since I got here. There's just so many things for me to do. Why?"

Where was Charlotte going with this?

"You should. Next chance you get. I donated some of my finest work there. Ozpin and our family might have had some grievances but the man knows good art when he sees it and he told me it was the central piece to the courtyard at the Academy. Figured you could do that for me at least, since you won't be able to go to my art gallery. You can ask Glynda to show you."

"I guess I can-" Jaune's eyes widened as he looked up at his ceiling clock. He was 10 minutes late for his session with Glynda. And she was never one to tolerate any tardiness. "Oh man, listen, Char. I gotta go, okay? I'm super late for something!"

"Is it a date?! Wait hold on-"

"Bye!" he'd apologize to her later but right now she was not the one he was worried about.

He groaned once more as he slowly got up, still feeling the aches his body was telling him to.

 _No rest for the weary,_ Jaune supposed as he took his key card and closed the door behind him.

He was going to be a pilot again, no matter what he had to do.

* * *

If his body was weary, his mind was fried. He had been at this for two hours now, connecting himself once again inside the drift helmet, reigning in his thoughts. Controlling his memories was harder than he'd thought it was going to be.

It wasn't like it was easy to begin with, honestly. Jaune remembered the training he had as a young cadet. Human beings are emotional creatures. The Drift revealed the most intimate part of you and let that part loose. It was like trying to contain a thousand butterflies that flew from you to the outside world to be free. It was damn near impossible without the training.

And he hadn't had training in years.

And he was suppose to teach the newest generation how?

What a joke.

"Grah!" Jaune had had enough, he pulled the helmet off to reveal a sweaty and frustrated looking face.

"Jaune, we were making some progress," Glynda softly reprimanded him as she stopped to take notes.

"Really?! Because I haven't noticed! I'm drawing blanks here, Glyn!" He took both of his hands and drew his blond bangs back away from his eyes. He was suddenly quite aware of his tone. "I'm sorry… It's just… it's been a long day. Last thing I needed was to be reminded how much of a broken piece of crap I am."

"You are not that." His eyes locked with Glynda's green ones as she told him with sincerity. How could he have not noticed how striking they were? Like they could see through his soul. "Broken? Yes, perhaps a little. But a piece of crap? Jaune Arc you are many things, but a piece of crap is not one of them."

He knew it wasn't true… still it felt good to have someone else validate your worth. "... way to take the wind out my whining sails, Glyn." He smiled sadly. " But thanks." He took a deep breath and sighed before looking at her once more. "Again?"

She gave him a glance and nodded solemnly. "Again."

And back into the void he went. Into the recesses of his mind, the darkest corners only Louise and Glynda had been privy to.

 **What do you see, Jaune?**

Glynda's voice was always calm and soothing. She would be his anchor and life house should he ever find himself lost in the fog of the memory.

"Nothing yet…"

 **Concentrate. Think back again on that night. The rain. The thunder. The fight.**

Picturing the image wasn't hard. Maintaining his hold however, was another.

Every time the memory surfaced, feelings and emotions of that day were imprinted on him. It was no use fighting it. It was like trying to change the words to a book that had already been written.

 **Don't fight it. Don't get caught up by its swells.**

"...E...easier said than done, Glyn," he grunted, his breathing heavy.

 **Don't let its grasp take you. It is a part of you, but it does not own you.**

 _It doesn't own me… it doesn't own me…_

" _Jaune!"_ Louise' terrified voice echoed within him still.

 _Doesn't own me… It doesn't own me…_

 **What happened to you and Louise was tragic. But you saved a lot of people's lives that night. You and your sister both. That was what you were born to do, Jaune. To save lives.**

" _Jaune…"_ It was Louise' voice again. But this time it was much more light, playful even. It was the memory of their time in Beacon. " _Hey bro… I'm glad you're doing this with me. I wouldn't have anybody else at my side."_

" _Hey, No big… besides, who else is going to save the world with you? Marie?"_

" _Shut up, you goof!"_

Her laughter was like the pleasant sound of a bell. Something he hadn't heard in awhile. Maybe Glynda was right. He was out of balance after that night. The bad memory of that day had flooded his senses and taken hold of his character, his will, his drive and had frozen him solid.

To undo the hurt… he needed to heal, to feel. He needed to remember the good times with Louise.

Jaune was ready to soldier on when he felt the familiar touch of Glynda's fingers on his shoulder, indicating the end of the Drift cycle.

She helped pull off the heavy contraption as she took hold of his head and studied him intently. "Your eyes are still dilated. Heavy perspiration and heavy breathing." She glanced to the side as she looked at a monitor. "Your brain's alpha and delta waves are off the charts. We definitely should stop for now."

"Just when I thought we were getting to the good part." He chuckled despite his tired state. "Well, Doc. What's the prognosis?"

She gave him an annoyed look before shaking her head. "It's too early to say. But it's a definite improvement over yesterday."

"You sure you're just not saying that to make me feel better?" He couldn't help it. Deep down he'd always wanted to tease the ever prim and proper Glynda.

She was more than quick to respond as she slapped his face slightly with a piece of paper, one of the many that was quickly being ejected by her printing machine. "Facts don't lie, Arc. You're slowly improving. Keep that up and you'll be inside a Jaeger cockpit in no time."

He'd been meaning to ask. Now might be a good time as any.

"What about you?"

"Hmm?" Glynda adjusted her glasses as she looked on him puzzlingly. _Damn, can she be cute when she wants to be._

Jaune cleared his throat. "I said, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"When this is all over Glyn, what are you going to do?"

"That's a silly thing to ask. I'm going to continue on with my duties."

Now it was his turn to shake his head. "No, Glynda. I meant to say when I become a pilot again, I'm going to need a partner."

"...Jaune…" She took off her glasses, giving him a full clear view of those magnificent green orbs. It was like staring at an ever green meadow. "...I… I can't."

"Bullshit." Even he was taken back by his language, but he needed to say it. "You were the strongest candidate by far during our years together, You and James had a flawless record. You'd be amazing out there as a Jaeger pilot again. Hell you've been inside my head. We'd be perfect _together_!"

It took him to realize the double meaning of his words. Glynda was well aware too as both of them flushed the same crimson shade. "I mean… what I meant to say was-"

"Jaune I know what you mean. And I'm flattered." She smiled yet why did it feel like there was going to be a but at the end of her line?

"But-"

And there it was.

"I'm needed here. Jaune I have a lot of responsibility to the academy now. Beacon can barely function without me and Professor Ozpin running it. It's… I just don't think it's a good idea."

But Jaune wasn't one to give up so easily. "Then find a replacement."

"Huh?"

"Find someone to take your spot. Oz would understand. I mean he practically proposed the idea that you and I be partners together years ago! I was just too pigheaded to follow through with the idea. It's a new start for me... and you."

"Jaune. You are tired and emotionally drained…" Glynda kept up a proper appearance as she placed back the glasses back on her face. "You're not thinking clearly. If you would like we can discuss this matter another time."

"Glynda I don't want to-"

"Jaune, _please_. Just drop it for the night. I don't want to talk about it anymore, okay?"

Jaune knew he could be stubborn when it came to things. Perhaps he was being a little bit too pushy.

"Okay… okay. Fine." He reluctantly agreed.

 _Just for tonight._ He had not given up on the idea of Glynda being his partner, far from it but it was best to respect her wishes for now.

She looked at him and he at her before the two broke eye contact, embarrassed at the act. It was like being a school kid all over again.

She finally broke the silence. "It's getting late. Get some rest. You have a big day tomorrow."

He got up and put on his bomber jacket once more, glancing up at the clock. "Yeah, you're probably right. It is getting kinda late."

He was about to bid her goodnight for the evening before stopping. "Hey Glyn."

"Yes?"

"You've been to the new courtyard, right?"

She nodded. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"It's just something my sister said… she told me she wanted me to see one of her works. I guess she donated one of her sculptures or something? Thought I might just walk by if it's on the way back." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

The cool blonde beauty before him glanced at him for a moment or two before her lips pursed into a small melancholic smile. "I see." She got up and got hold of her small lavender sweater. "Shall I accompany you?"

"To where?" Now it was his turn to look the confused part.

She shook her head. "It's not something for words. You need to see with your own eyes."

* * *

The night air was cold and crisp, Autumn indeed was in full swing. Jaune didn't care, he liked the cold. It reminded him of hot chocolate and long nights by the fireplace. He looked at Glynda, who looked like she was faring worse than him.

"You alright, Goodwitch?" He chuckled as he watched her shiver.

"I-I'm fine Arc." She stumbled through her words.

 _Huh. The cold and calculating Glynda Goodwitch can feel sensations after all._

"Do you… wanna borrow my jacket?"

"I still have my pride, Arc. I might have underestimated the weather, but that doesn't mean I'm some fragile school girl who needs your charity." She crossed her hands over her full chest, rubbing her arms in the process.

"Suit yourself." Glynda might have grown up, but that stubborn streak she had still remained.

"Are we there yet? We've been walking for like five minutes." He glanced around.

"Almost there. Just a left at the atrium."

Just like clockwork, Glynda's directions were flawless and on the mark. They had definitely arrived on some kind of new courtyard garden, complete with a magnificent fountain and statue as the center piece. The street lamps lit the grounds quite well but it was the site of the fountain that pulled at his attention. There were dozens of lit candles placed around it, all of varying sizes and degrees. Some had even burned all the way to the core. The countless tiny flames were magnificent to behold, but it was the statue above that they illuminated that held his gaze.

"... Wha…" He looked around, dumbfounded, practically turning to Glynda for guidance.

She gave him a warm look and said " Go on."

His mind didn't fully grasp what she meant but his legs did as they continued to advance slowly towards the lovely sight, the sound of the tranquil waters of the fountain easing him in. Other than the candles were bushels of flowers, some in bouquets, others just a long stemmed flower in a vase. All had a place beneath the fountain. Illuminated by candle light flames and the street lamps he would have to have been blind to not recognize the statue.

It was in the shape of a woman, garbed in the graduation uniform of Beacon Academy. On her left she held a Jaeger helm, while her right hand saluted any bystander lucky enough to have looked at her. Despite her onyx exterior there was a very human expression on her face. Something could never forget in the twenty two years he had been alive. His breath was taken away as he slumped down, his one hand raised, afraid to reach up to her.

"Louise?"

He glanced at the plaque card below the statue of his sister.

 _Louise Constance Arc_

 _Beloved Hero and Daughter of Beacon._

 _Never Forget, Never Forgotten_

Somehow his eyes stung, something liquid-like was deeply flowing down from his face.

"Never forget, never forgotten. Those were your sister's ideas. Charlotte can be a such poet when she wants to be." He heard Glynda speak softly behind him, which was good. He couldn't let her see him like this. "But never has any truer word had been spoken. Jaune… People remember Louise's sacrifice. Every year there are flowers and candles constantly lit in her memory. Jaune… she's never gone, not truly. Not unless we forget."

He wiped his tears on his sleeves, trying his best not to be overcome by his grief, but the hot flowing liquid continued on. "I won't. I won't ever."

And so he sat there. Under the stars of night, weeping for a sister and a friend. For he had lost her… and found her at last.


	7. Chapter 6:New And Familiar

**Author's note: Sorry if this one took a while. Was busy with work and the holidays. Anywho, back to the story.**

* * *

 **Project Jaeger**

 **Chapter 6: New and Familiar**

* * *

The night sky was still covered in a cloak of black and a sea of stars when Jaune Arc had taken to the streets of Beacon Academy. The twilight morning of the dawn had never been a time where he was awake enough to appreciate its tranquil beauty but Glynda had a different agenda in mind.

" _Get up, Sleepy head. Time is wasting." Her voice echoed with clarity through Jaune's scroll._

" _Augh," he groaned in response as he rolled around his bed. "Do you know what time it is, Glyn? It's 4:30 in the morning."_

" _And as such you should be awake by now. A pilot's day starts at 0400 hours. C'mon Arc. We have much to do and the day is young. And so are you."_

And so he was up. Not by choice but by necessity, he walked out of his apartment into the chilly reception of dawn's early heralding with only his jacket to keep him warm and a fresh mug of coffee courtesy of his free coffee machine. He made light of it on his first arrival, thinking he'd never succumbed to using such a device but here he was with a fresh pot of joe. He'd never rely on the stuff before but today was harder than usual to get up. Like his pappy used to say, there was a first time for everything.

The first sip burnt his tongue. The second caused him to wince and contort his face in disgust. How could Marie and Ozpin love the stuff so much? Coffee was disgusting.

Jaune was so distracted by the hot beverage he failed to notice the curb of the sidewalk and almost lost his balance. Fortunate for him he caught himself in time but the mug in hand was lost in the scuffle and shattered into a million pieces on the cold hard ground, spilling its contents.

"Great. Just great." Jaune grimaced. "What a start to a morning."

He picked up whatever pieces he could to dispose of. No sense letting a student get hurt over his clumsiness. The chill of winter morning made the task much more annoying than he would have liked but he didn't complain. He had plenty of time.

Least, he thought he did until he glanced at his scroll. Jaune's eyes widened for a moment before muttering a cuss word. He turned his neatly paced walk into a full on stride, to head for today's long awaited destination.

The Shatterdome. Hangar and workshop that housed all of Beacon's great Jaegers.

" _An old friend is eager to meet you, Jaune. Don't keep them waiting."_ Glynda's last words echoed in his head.

The blonde pilot recognized a few of his students on the way and he was careful to greet them the best he could without slowing down his pace. Eventually he made his way to the familiar steel double doors with Beacon's seal upon them. He waved his employee card through which beeped and granted him access. A hop and a skip on through led him to the multitude of elevators that only had one set destination.

Down.

Beacon Academy was built on top of a cliffside. Ideal for its defensive position as well as its isolation. Made the kids feel safe while at once keeping their attention on the task at hand. They were there to be Rangers. Jaeger pilots. Any other distraction on hand well… you leave it at the door. The Shatterdome however was built within the cliffside. Hidden from the outside world. Only those who had proven themselves and had earned the right to call themselves Rangers were allowed in.

Jaune shifted his weight around uncomfortably as the elevator continued its long descent. The place was both familiar and not. A feeling of nervousness crept up around his neck as he patted the nape of his neck, trying to rub out the feeling. Out of habit he turned to his left hoping to see the face that always brought out a calmness in him. Regret immediately set in and Jaune was once again reminded to live in the present. Her identical blonde hair and charming blue eyes were not there to comfort him for she was no longer around to be his strength. He needed to stand up on his own once again.

"It's okay, Lou. I'll make it work. For the both of us." He whispered under his breath. A psychiatrist once told him that acceptance was the last stage of the grieving process. But it was one he could never force himself to do, believing that his sister would cease to matter as much once he did. Deep down he knew it was a lie. He couldn't accept it because he wasn't ready to let her go. But being back in a place where he belonged, where he knew he could make a difference… it made him feel needed once again. It was a long time coming but Jaune Arc was ready to move on to the next stage of his life… without the lingering shadow of his twin.

As if on cue he could just imagine what Louise would have told him right there on the spot.

" _You'd better be. I've always been proud of you, bro."_

Even if it was just imaginary just hearing her say those words made him feel at ease.

The door of the elevator finally opened and out came a Jaune Arc who walked with a fire in his eyes and a purpose in his steps as he was greeted by the sights, sounds, and smells of his old haunting grounds.

The welding of steel and the flying of sparks.

The sound of the mechanics barking orders to newbies and superiors alike.

The rush of heavy machinery operating and moving around like the drones of an ant colony, in sequence to the others…

He missed this. It was good to be home.

A few of the old mechanics recognized him and gave him a warm hearty reception.

"Arc, is that you, you scraggly blonde?! Holy shit it's good to see that boney ass back to the world of the living!"

Jaune returned the greeting with an arm catch and a shoulder check. "Good to be back, Tony. How's the missus?"

"Same old, same old. I've got two kids now. Crazy little buggers. Don't tell my wife I said that. You should drop by. Pay Lily a visit. We'd love to catch up."

"I'll keep that in mind, Tony. I'll try to make the time."

"Yeah you better."

He smirked before waving farewell to the older man. Jaune was too busy taking in the scenery to fully invest in nostalgic conversations. His eyes wandered all over the hanger bay.

And they were there. The steel clad titans that helped defended the world of Remnant, time and time again.

On his left, an older mark II, with its bulky frame and heavy chest barreling. An emblem of a devil wielding a pitchfork was winking at him. Good o'le Diablo Intercept. Jaune wondered who was piloting the machine now.

Two machines down was the black and gold trimmed mark IV Jaeger. It was not the first of its kind to be outfitted with melee weaponry but it was definitely the mech that inspired the GD6 chainsword of his Crocea Mors. Echo Saber was the epitome of the regal swordsman on the field of battle.

Another one caught his attention and made him feel like he was a fresh recruit all over again. It was older than the first two. In fact it was one of the very first Jaegers inducted into service. A mark I. A deep blue and silver mech with a singular eye scanner on its head cam. Romeo Blue. Jaune remembered being deployed with Louise on a mission with the older mech. Old man Dan might have gone grey in his years but he could move with the best of them. Alongside his wife, Anna, the two made an unbelievable team. They showed the whole world that. At the cost of their lives, defending Mistral city.

 _Never forget, never forgotten_. Remembering the words he would always associate with Louise, he took the time to pay a moment or two of respect. They might not have spoken with each other as much but they were fellow Rangers deserving to be remembered for their sacrifice.

It was because Jaune was so deep in thought that he didn't recognize the sudden force that clung unto his back and wrapped itself around his waist. It only lasted a moment and it felt melancholic. After all, He could remember the sight and feel of her anywhere.

The hug was strong yet gentle, fierce but loving.

Just like she always was.

"...Hey, Velvet." He awkwardly greeted his former classmate and mechanic.

Big brown eyes met his blue ones, and for a moment in time Jaune was back during his earlier academy days, those long bunny ears always flopping by his and Louise's side.

A smile and a small exchange of words. "... What took you so long Jaune?"

A question. One asked of a friend who he had not seen in years. One that was laced with both happiness and sorrow.

What could he say? Jaune wasn't entirely sure but he could at least be honest with Velvet. She deserved that much.

"... I was just trying to find my way back home, Velvet." He smiled ever so sadly. "I think I finally found it. I'm so sorry for making you wait."

"You big dummy…" Her voice cracked as she pulled herself closer to his side and pulled at his jacket as she buried her head into his chest, hiding away her falling silent tears. "You could have at least called. You didn't had to disappear like that."

Velvet was always a softie but even Jaune was getting a bit teary eyed regardless of the embarrassing intimacy he was sharing with her. He was just slowly realizing how much of a selfish prick he had been when he cut off all his ties towards Beacon. He was going to spend the rest of the time he was here making that up, no matter what it took. Regardless of the eyes that fell upon them Jaune could not find it within himself to let her go nor did he want to. The two stayed close like that for a few more minutes before Velvet let go.

"Feel better?" Jaune smiled gently.

The Rabbit faunus nodded her head while she wiped away the remaining tears from onto her sleeves. "You owe me some chocolate pudding for making me cry like that, Arc." She grumbled.

"I'll treat you to a whole tub if you'd like. I've got a lot to make up for, Vel." he nervously ran one hand through his hair.

"Yeah, you do. You and I have a lot of catching up to do. I've got so many questions for you."

"Just out of curiosity, Are you the reason why Glynda sent me here? "Jaune clarified. "She must have told you I was here the moment I stepped foot onto Beacon. Said something about a friend wanting to meet me here. Is that you?"

Now it was Velvet's turn to smile and smirk. "Yes and no. While I did make the request to meet with you as soon as possible I'm not the one who's been eager to see you. Well atleast I'm not the only one." Velvet strongly took his hand and pulled him along as they made their way down the corridors and long walkways of the Shatterdome.

"Whoa! What's the rush?!"

"Don't you get it Jaune?He's been dying to see you since you came back!"

Jaune didn't understand. "Who? I don't-"

"You will!"

Down they went until finally they came across an open bay area where a Jaeger was being worked on. With high rising cranes pulling up his parts, mechanics and engineers tinkering away at the core, it was hard to make out the steel giant at first but slowly and surely the mech was slowly calling out to his memory.

"Do you remember your friend now?" Velvet grinned back at him. Jaune could only stare speechless at the sight.

"At 260 Feet he is one of the tallest of the Mark IIIs,"Velvet recited the statistics of her handiwork, like it had been her mantra. She had always been proud of her gargantuan creation. "And at 1980 tons he is a heavyweight contender for biggest and baddest machine around. Steel Obsidian alloy make the bulk of his body with dust enhanced forgery making him tougher than any Grimm could ever dent. GD6 chainswords for basic weaponry alongside Ion Cannons as well as the only full on working prototype of a Dust core this Jaeger is the best of the mark III's by a long shot... My greatest accomplishment."

She turned to smile at him. " Also, your friend who misses his pilot."

"Crocea Mors…" Jaune finally muttered its name. It was Louise who gave it that. A fitting name for the gold and white titan.

The core of the machine roared to life as it lit up and fired off its engines as if answering his call. Jaune knew it was a coincidence, the engineers were obviously conducting tests but he liked to think the metaphorical beating steel heart of the Jaeger heard his cry and answered back.

Velvet must have thought so too because she simply said "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"...he sounds happy."

And with that Jaune said nothing. No words were needed to be said as the blonde pilot continued to bask in the moment, in the company of old friends.

* * *

Lunch was a meal Jaune greatly enjoyed. Especially the kind of ones that Beacon served, something he often fondly remembered back during his student days. A hearty meal in the company of friends and colleagues was one of the highlights of his everyday life as a pilot.

While the meal the cafeteria could supply with ease, he found himself short on the list of people to enjoy it with. Velvet and her engineering team were still busy with maintenance on the Jaegers and were functioning on a completely different schedule from the instructors. Jaune would have gladly asked Glynda had he not known how busy she was already with the faculty meetings and her own busy schedule.

And so here he was.

Standing around the cafeteria looking for a place to sit down and eat by his lonesome. Finally spotting a table for his own the blonde Jaeger pilot eagerly made his way towards it and have his butt claim it. No sooner had he sat down that felt the warm touch of something bumping his hand and shoulder.

"Whoops," he called out. "Sorry didn-"

"Sorry I was-"

As he turned to his side a certain pair of lilac eyes attached to a lovely endowed figure caught his attention. Again. With her striking features, that yellow top, worn faded jeans, and a brown leather jacket Yang Xiao Long was definitely someone you could not ignore.

She smiled as she caught on. "Hey, Professor."

Jaune returned with a casual, albeit nervous one of his own. "Instructor. And hey to you too,Miss Xiao Long." Jaune didn't think it was appropriate for the staff to be eating with students (casualness aside, Beacon was still an academy) but he couldn't quite see harm in it either. Besides he really didn't want to go look for another spot. "I don't suppose you mind if I sat down and ate here with you?"

She chuckled slightly. "Not at all, _Instructor._ It's a free country. Sit wherever you like."

"Thanks." Jaune thought about it for a second but found that it would probably be best to sit across the table from the young lady. Her sister or friends might want to sit next to her. "Are your sister or friends joining you?"

"Ruby? Nah she had some things she wanted to bring back to the dorms. As for friends I'm not really looking for any. Got a bunch of em already, back in Patch. Figured I could stretch out on my own for a bit."

"I see."

"Oh, and Yang's just fine. You don't have to address me by my last name."

"Is that so?" Jaune raised an amused eyebrow, fingers already set on his apple. "I don't think it's appropriate for me to do so...Miss Xiao Long."

"Why not?" Was it just him or did she say that in a sultry manner?

"Uh, for one, this is an Academy. You are a student and I am your teacher. It's a professional relationship." He bit down on the red fruit.

"So?"

"So?" he repeated the girls question. "So it's inappropriate."

"Says who?" she grinned, taking a small sample size bite out of her pizza.

"Says, uh, everyone." Jaune answered as best as he could. "Two, I'm like older than you. Calling you Yang feels… I don't know, weird."

"Only if you make it out to be." She replied with ease as she matched his word for word. "Besides you're here eating with me, I'm pretty sure that's already crossing the boundaries between student-teacher relationships somehow."

Damn, she had a point.

His silence only lasted a second however.

"I get it," The younger blonde eyed him mischievously. 'It's how you get off, right?"

Jaune almost squirted out his orange juice through his nose as he hacked and coughed uncontrollably. "E-Excuse me?"

The buxom young lady could only gleefully laugh at the scene, clearly finding the rise got out of him amusing. "You like it when ladies call you professor. Is that it, _Jaune_?"

She said his name with such a profound extended sigh he almost wished she would say it again. Almost. Embarrassment won out in the end.

"It's Instructor. Instructor Arc. And no...I don't. Could we… could we just move on from this topic?" Jaune was no stranger on how to talk to members of the opposite sex but talking with Yang was something he had never been prepared for. The girl was hard for him to read.

"I wouldn't _mind_ calling you Instructor…"

"Yang, please…" Jaune rubbed the bridge of his nose, clearly uncomfortable with the new found situation he was in.

"See? Was that so hard?" She gave him a cheery smile, laughing once more before taking a bite out of her own meal.

He could only sigh inward. Hopefully he could get through this meal in one piece.

"So...Jaune," And here she was ignoring social protocols again. "What made you want to be a pilot?"

Now here was something he found unexpected. A normal question. One he delighted in answering. "A wiser person once said to me that all it takes for evil to win is for good people to do nothing." the older pilot uttered softly as he absent mindedly played with his food, findling more comfort in the words he couldn't help but smile just a bit. Memories of his passed sister often did.

He realized the profound meaning in those words might have been lost on Yang. In fact it wasn't outside the realm of possibility she might find it to be cheesy and laugh at the notion.

Much to his surprise she didn't. Her luscious locks swayed when she placed her hand under her chin as she looked at him thoughtfully.

 _Dear God! can she be cute when she wants to be._

Brushing thoughts aside, he licked his lips as he fumbled back the words he almost lost. " What I mean to say is… I couldn't sit back and do nothing, right? People are dying to those monsters. If, if I can make a difference, why wouldn't I? "

Jaune chuckled. "I'm sorry. I don't think I'm explaining myself right. You must think I'm some kind of optimistic idiot."

The smirk on Yang's face was one Jaune would describe as playful and devilish at the same time. "You're not wrong."

Internally, he rolled his eyes. _Of course she would think that._

"But girls like a guy like that. I know I do."

 _Wait, what?_

The lilac eyed girl before him guffawed ever so cutely at his expense. "Aren't you just the most adorable thing, look at your confused face."

Always this girl was a step or two ahead of him. Like a master musician she played the tune and he was more than happy to dance along to it.

Jaune didn't know if he liked that or not.

Before he could respond she looked around once before eyeing him once more. "Hey, do you wanna get out of here?"

"Uh, I don't think that's-"

"I'll take that as a yes."

Her soft yet strong hands took his own and not a moment too soon he was being dragged off somewhere by this willful woman with only a small plea escaping his lips.

Protesting really wasn't Jaune's strong point.

* * *

It had been an eventful morning but somehow Glynda had gotten through it all despite the setbacks. And while she was never the eager eater when it came to lunch or breakfast she found herself looking forward to a lunch with an old friend and cohort. She timed her schedule to coincide with his and was hoping to surprise the prodigal pilot. The look on his face when she would gracefully sit down next to him as she casually took a sip of her tea would have one for the books. Only this time she could not find a hide nor golden hair of Jaune anywhere she looked around the cafeteria.

Strange.

If there was one thing she could count on was the fact that Jaune never missed a meal, a trait she had often made fun of.

"Now where did you disappear off too, Jaune?" she uttered under her breath, unknown to the fate that has befallen the wayward Instructor.


	8. Chapter 7:Two Blondes Walk Into A Bar I

**Author's note: I realize I haven't updated in awhile. Sorry about that, too many good games came out and took my time. Like Persona 5 and Horizon. Anyway back to our scheduled program.**

* * *

 **Project Jaeger**

 **Chapter 7: Two Blondes Walk Into A Bar Part I**

* * *

"I can't believe I'm letting you talk me into this," Jaune grimaced despite the situation he was in, his hand firmly holding a pool cue stick. " _Why_ am I letting you talk me into this?"

Good question.

Why did he?

Why was Jaune Arc, _Newly_ hired Instructor at Beacon and once established Jaeger pilot at a bar of all places with a blonde bombshell of a girl who could only laugh at his predicament?

The answer was ever simple.

He was born with a Y chromosome. He couldn't have known better, simply because he didn't knew better.

"Oh lighten up, Prof. Live a little. The past is the past," The exuberant girl nudged him with a playful elbow, right before preparing to take her turn at the game. "You're here now so…" Yang paused, lining her shot. Like a well aimed bullet, she shot the cue ball with alarming precision and broke the billiard balls magnificently, a symphony of crackling collision played out before them. "Bam." the accomplished pool player smirked and with a taunting gaze looked at her reluctant accomplice. "Your turn." She said in a sing-song playfulness, like Yang had done this dance a million times over.

Jaune could only stare in bewilderment before finally accepting his fate, shoulders shrugging as he chalked up the pool cue.

Which only made the younger blonde smile. "That's a good boy."

A comment which in a much more different situation would have made his ears burn. He'd kill for a pretty girl to call him that. But there was a time and place for everything. He was here as her teacher. A truant teacher, but her superior nonetheless.

"So not to be nosy, but do you do this often? I mean, aren't you acting a little too comfortable here?" He might as well continue a conversation while playing. There was no beating around the bush. The girl was a mystery to him. As her Instructor he felt he was duty bound to get to know her past a name and a dossier. He'd be a fool to not and try to find out more about this strange girl who in a sense "kidnapped" him for her own amusements.

"Do what? Play pool?"

"I mean playing hooky, but yeah that too. I know when I'm being hustled. I grew up with seven _older_ sisters."

Yang couldn't help but give out a mild chortle. "The hooky thing? I don't know. I just do it when I feel like it, you know? Life's too short to let rules and regulations control you. I like to think I'm living my life to the best that I can with the time I have left on this world." The two shared a meaningful glance for a brief moment before Jaune answered for her in a monotone voice. "So like a lot. You do this a lot."

"A lot. Yes, I know, I have a problem." Yang nodded in agreement. It wasn't long until both were taken in with fits of laughter as they shared in the absurdity of the situation. Which was a feat on its own. Jaune found it strangely easy to be himself around Yang, like he didn't need to put on an act or face. Perhaps it was the strange, candor way she carried herself or the fact that Yang was unlike any other girl he had met but, whatever it was he felt a kindred spirit in the lilac-eyed Jaeger pilot.

"I hope that's not going to be a problem, Instructor." She winked.

"Just… just try to be there for the important stuff. You're a grown woman. You don't need me to tell you where and when you should be there." Jaune shuffled the pool cue between his fingers, lining up his shot in the process.

"Good. I like a man who doesn't prode."

Jaune embarrassingly chuckled as he continued to concentrate on their game. There she goes again with the flirting. Harmless it maybe but it couldn't be good for his heart. He'd ignore it for now. It seemed to be his go to answer for the situation.

"But seriously, Seven? No kidding. How was that like?" Yang looked at him in disbelief and mild curiosity."

"Like what you'd probably imagine. the things I could tell you about it. I could write a book. Or two. Or three." The older pilot smiled, before wiping a small bead of sweat on his head. "Man is it just me or is it hot in here?"

Yang's smaller shoulders danced as she giggled. "I don't think the jacket is helping."

"Well I'm going to get a drink. Do you want anything?"

Yang eyed him slyly. "You buying?"

"I offered didn't I?"

"A cold beer would be nice."

Now it was his turn to give her the doubtful eye.

"What? She replied innocently. "I can drink."

"Not legally."

"I totally can… in Vacuo."

"Hmmm, last I checked we were in Vale so… I'm going to count that as a no. As your Instructor I am still responsible for you and all," Their tirade continued.

"Lame, See? This," Yang gestured to all of him "… this is why women don't like you." She crossed her arms over her ample chest, clearly jesting despite her words.

Well the joke was on her, Jaune was more than familiar with his unpopularity with the opposite sex.

"I'll take my chances with the imaginary women. What else? Do you like pop or like Juice?"

The blonde girl sighed and gave in for once. "Fine, I'd like a Strawberry sunrise."

The older part of the blonde duo could only respond with a raised eyebrow.

"What? _Virgin_ of course."

Well, at least she was willing to meet him halfway,

"Fine. I'll be right back."

"Take your time, Fly boy. I'm not going anywhere. Not from a free game."

Somehow Jaune thought Yang and his sister Olivia would get along swimmingly well.

Funny how life works sometimes, he pondered while making his way to the barkeep. Never in his wildest dreams he thought he'd be back in Beacon yet here he was, getting a drink for his insanely attractive student, and having a damn good time to boot.

One could argue the morality of the situation but part of him didn't care. He needed nights like this. He needed to feel what it was like… to be well, to be himself again.

And if it took a fiery blonde girl to do just that who was he to argue with what the laws of the universe planned for him?

The barkeep wasn't what he'd exactly imagined. Perhaps he'd seen too much television but what he surmised to be a tall, hairy, and gruff looking bartender was in actuality a slender, porcelain skinned beauty, with long raven hair that complimented her green eyes and made her red shirt and blue jeans pop out even more.

"Enjoying your date, Handsome?" Her question was both surprising and abrupt.

"What? No! I mean yes! I mean," he flustered awkwardly. "She's not my date. She's a friend...from work."

"Uh-huh." The bartender gave him a look that said she didn't believe him. "Well your _friend_ from work seems to be having a good time." She indicated, Jaune glanced backwards and she could see Yang talking to their pool neighbor sharing a conversation and doing what she seemed to do best. Socialize and be the life of the room, grinning and laughing.

"Yeah. Yeah she does." He had to agree. Yang seemed to be in her element, and somehow that made her more radiant than ever, like his eyes couldn't leave her even if he wanted to.

"I like customers like that. They usually tip more." The barkeep continued," So what can I do for you, chief?" she asked, matter of factly.

"Uhm," Jaune's stutter only lasted a second, he learned quick to adapt when it came to judging women's appearance. "I'm sorry. Yes. Uh, what do you have on tap?"

"House specials are on the chalkboard behind me." The pretty bartender gestured with her thumb. "And we carry all sorts of bottles just not any from Atlas right now due to the shortages and the workers strike."

That was a long list of choices.

"Uh, I'll take whatever the locals are having." Jaune figured it'd be best to not be picky. He was always a go with the flow type of guy. "And I don't suppose you know how to make a virgin strawberry sunrise?"

She grinned back at him. "If I couldn't make that than I would have to give up my bartender license. On the rocks?"

Shoot, Yang forgot to tell him. Welp, he was going to have to wing it.

"Sure, why not."

She nodded and her hands continued to do their bartender magic. It wasn't long till he had an ice cold beverage of beer in his hand and a tiny glass of orange and pink, topped off with ice and a little umbrella.

"Figured your girlfriend would like one with the mini umbrellas. They're a big hit with the ladies."

"She's not-"

"Right. Whatever you say." Jaune did not like the way this one smiled, she kinda reminded him of Marie whenever she knew of a story that no one else did.

He sighed. Better to just close his mouth for now and move on. "So how much do I owe you?" He began to rummage through his wallet. He still hadn't been paid his salary by the school but he had enough to at least cover his expenses.

"For you?" The bartender placed a finger to her lip, deep in thought before finally answering "no charge."

"I'm sorry what?"

"It's free. On the house. Complimentary. Whatever else you wanna call it."

Jaune was confused. "Um, well thanks but… not that I don't mind the free drinks but why?"

His confusion must have added to her amusement because the bartender could only smirk as she continued to serve drinks. "What can I say, I'm a sucker for Jaeger pilots."

Somehow a piece of photograph behind her caught Jaune's attention. It was one of the few framed pictures that stood out from the bar's hip decour. It was a picture of the bartender and another similar looking girl clad in white posing happily to the camera, their smiles forever etched in time.

"My sister was visiting a friend that day. Way out in the mountains, I figured there was just no way anything could happen to her. Melanie could always take care of herself. Who would have thought A Grimm would appear there out of all places."

A flashback of steel against obsidian flesh colliding played out before Jaune's eyes briefly before he met the bartender's green orbs once more. "I recognize the insignia on your jacket. If it hadn't been for Crocea Mors… I would have lost more than my sister that day. I would have lost my family."

"I'm sorry for your sister's loss," she continued. "But she saved my family. _You_ saved my family. And that...makes you more than okay in my book, Mr. Jaune Arc."

He was at a loss for words. Here was a living testament that what he had accomplished mattered. And it made all of the trials and tribulations worth it.

He finally said what he could not have said before.

"Thank you."

She looked at him softly with that gentle green gaze. "Anytime pilot. You're welcome here anytime you'd like. Now run along before your girlfriend gets jealous."

Before he could respond a customer came up around and called her out. "Miltia! I'm going to need another pitcher here!'

"Sam, you'd better have the money to pay for this tonight. Your tab's getting pretty maxed out."

Soon after Jaune just couldn't get a word in between the bartender and her customers so he did what he could and thanked her once again wordlessly before bowing out.

What greeted him afterwards was not one he was likely expecting.

Jaune probably wasn't the only one who noticed Yang was no ordinary woman, a bunch of guys had gathered around her and from the looks of things, it wasn't a pleasant conversation.

"I said I'm here with someone. Can't you guys take the hint?" It was obvious Yang was getting annoyed as she tried to walk past them to go back to their pool side.

"Hey easy, easy, doll. It's not like we're asking you to do something illegal. My friends and I just wanted to ask you to join us for a friendly game of pool." One of the guys elbowed his friend playfully. "And if we get to know each other in the process, well that's a win win for everybody, I think."

Jaune had seen those types before. Like a pack of wolves, guys like them tended to act more bolder and reckless with other like minded guys.

"Not going to happen." Yang stated as coolly as she could have, but Jaune could tell she was losing her patience. "Now will you _please_ get out of my way?"

"C'mon baby doll. An easy girl like you? Don't you think you'd have more fun with us?" The ringleader of the bunch placed his hand on Yang's dainty shoulder.

That was the last straw.

He needed to step in.

But in reality the guy's fingers never even touched Yang. It all happened too fast but Jaune could have sworn that Yang had grabbed hold of the guy's wrist, flipped him over her figure and slammed the jerk right down on the ground with a loud thud causing the entire bar to gasp and pause as they all watched the scene take place.

"... No one touches me unless I let them, creep."She glared at the unwanted pack of man boys, her pale lilac eyes had disappeared, in their stead were a set of fiery looking orbs.

"You bitch!" One of the guys broke his beer bottle and was itching for a go at her.

And pack mentality states that all it takes is one idiot to start a fight.

Jaune sighed and could only say what was on his mind as he tapped the guy on the shoulder and cold clocked him down on the ground.

"Well,Shit."

This was going to be one of those nights.


	9. Chapter 8:Two Blondes Walk Into A Bar II

**Author's Note: Still don't know who to pair Jaune up with and it is killing me as the Author. Oh well.**

* * *

 **Project Jaeger**

 **Chapter 8:Two Blondes Walk Into A Bar part II**

* * *

" **BAR FIGHT!"**

A shout was all it took to plunge the chill atmosphere into a rending whirlwind of chaos, he didn't even know who said it, it could have been him for all he knew or Yang but the next thing Jaune knew was that he was dodging punches and wild swings aimed at his person while doing his best to make his way to Yang.

The other half of the blonde duo was laughing up a storm as she punched one clean across the jaw, the sound it made caused the older pilot to wince.

Yang had one hell of an arm.

He made a mental note, it probably wasn't a good idea to get on her bad side.

"Jaune! Look out!" her surprised tone caused him to hesitate, an act that gave one of the goons enough time to work on his opening. Jaune got decked with a clean blow to his temple and grazing his left eye. It wasn't a bottle thank heavens, but it still hurt like hell. He was going to feel that in the morning. He could feel the blood trickle down his cheek.

He didn't have time to shake off the effects but if there was one thing Jaune was good for it was that he could take a beating. Louise and Pyrrha's punches were definitely much worse than that. He retaliated by catching the next swing and locking it in place with what came natural from his training, an armbar, causing the assailant to scream in pain.

That was one thug neutralized. A half a dozen more.

The two pilots from Beacon stood back to back repelling their attackers. It wasn't long until they were resorting to using the bar itself as a weapon, grabbing pool cues and chairs.

"Oh c'mon!" He outwardly groaned. How cowardly could some people get?

While he was clearly not enjoying the situation the same could not be said of his student, the way her red eyes shone and that bright smile across her face. Yang was definitely living in the moment. And enjoying it.

"Boys it's only fun until someone pokes an eye out!" She grinned as she dash pass Jaune and raised her forearm blocking one of the pool cues in the process, and knocking the man down with a tremendous right cross. "Than it's only fun for me!"

Jaune was no stranger to fights, bar room blitzes or schoolyard tussles. Louise and Marie were dear sisters but they often had a way of getting under people's skins. Their honest and blunt nature often meant someone was going to take offense to what they said. And like a good brother he was always there ready to have his sisters' backs.

But this…This was getting too crazy.

She was getting too wild.

He needed to stop this.

Before he could finish his thoughts two of the goon squad decided to bum rush at Yang from both sides. He didn't even knew when did his body moved but he did, blazing to her side.

"Yang!" He called out as he tackled one of the attackers to the ground. His warning must have went through because the blonde girl in the stylish brown jacket caught the other man with a full on clothesline, the force of the impact so strong it caused him to flip through the air once a full rotation before colliding with the ground with a loud twap.

The fight felt like an eternity.

When it reality it had only been seconds to a minute and given enough time security came and were neutralizing the situation, burly men in black were holding both parties down.

"Hey! They started it!" Yang protested loudly but it was another voice that drowned out the rest of the crowd and caused all to be still.

" **WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE?!"**

It was commanding and clear. The tone of a well spoken leader.

One that Jaune knew all too well.

"Sir...I, uh, Ow!-" He winced as he tried to salute, forgetting the injury to his eye. "I, uh, I can explain."

Never in his life had he seen those eyes turn that steely cold. Yeah this definitely was a bad situation.

"And you will, Instructor Arc. Back at the Academy." He gestured swiftly with his cane to the door.

"Of course… Professor Ozpin."

* * *

This was stupid.

We were just defending ourselves!

They were just having fun!

She was just… having fun.

So why were they getting punished for it?

Yang's thoughts whirled around her head as she paced back and forth outside of the headmaster's office.

Yang Xiao Long was one hell of a woman, someone she could be proud of. Someone her sister and father could be proud of. But she knew her flaws, she could on occasion get carried away in the heat of a moment.

Battle lust, her dad called it. He told her she got it from her mother.

She had been in offices like this many times before for small "disagreements" back during her training in Signal Academy but somehow this time it made her nervous.

Oz was unlike any instructor back home in Patch.

This was the man who created the Jaeger Program. He carried a fierce intelligence and cunning unlike any other and commanded attention when he walked into a room. In a way he reminded her of her uncle.

And her uncle when furious was a man not to be trifled with.

The wait was excruciating. The big clock that continued to tick away only caused her anxiousness to grow with each passing second.

Finally Yang couldn't take it anymore and groaned frustration, getting up from her seat and tip toeing towards the door.

Eavesdropping was a bad habit she learned from Ruby, but when you have a father and an uncle who were strangely cryptic about their lives you learn to value the ability to hear things your ears weren't meant to hear.

She pressed her ears to the door and hoped for the best.

Luckily for her, the door wasn't thick and Oz was loud and clear enough to listen to.

"Reckless endangerment of property, unauthorize leave of absence not to mention-"

"Sir I understand that-"

"Do you really now, Ranger Arc? Because I was under the impression that you had lost your mind when you assaulted those ruffians!"

Yang pursed her lips. That wasn't fair. They started the whole commotion.

"Sir you heard it from the witnesses. We were just defending ourselves." _Atta boy, Jaune._

"Be that as it may, ranger, I expected better of you. Those men are citizens. Drunk and foolish citizens but civilians nonetheless. Do you really expect them to match the kind of training you and Miss Xiao Long had? It would be like dealing with a child throwing a tantrum."

He got them there.

Yang didn't really mean to hurt anyone, but the years of catcalling and continues relentless pursuits of both men and women based on her looks had made her a little conscious when it came to people touching her.

Okay, she might have gone a little bit too far this time.

"... I don't know where you grew up from, professor. But I was raised better. Those men were sexually assaulting my student with their eyes and words. I had to do something."

"And did that something had to be your fists?"

"It was the only language they understood, sir."

Yang couldn't see it but she imagined the long paused that Oz took was to massage his temple in frustration.

"Witnesses said it was miss Xiao Long who started the fight."

"Witnesses have it wrong."

The curvy blonde pilot's mouth lingered open. What was this? That wasn't what happened. Is Jaune… covering for her? By lying to his superior?

"... so you threw the first man down?"

"That would be correct, sir."

No way.

This guy barely knew her, she was practically just using him for her own amusement and he was standing up for her?

"...Indeed." She could practically see the disbelief dripping from Ozpin's voice. Lucky for them he decided to move on to the next topic. "Why were you in that bar in the first place, Jaune? With a student of all things?"

"You told me I needed to relax. That it was part of my recovery. I just took your word to heart. I was tired and didn't really want to go through my remaining lectures so I left. Miss Xiao Long noticed I played hooky for the day. She followed me into the bar and practically lectured me into coming back to the school. That's when unfortunately, things went sour."

Yang could barely contain her grin. Jaune was lying up a storm to Oz and he wasn't missing a beat. She didn't know whether to feel grateful, flattered, or to burst out laughing.

"Are you positive that's how it went, ranger?"

"On my sister's grave, sir."

Okay. this was enough. Yang clenched her jaw. He didn't need to go that far. She got up from where she was. She didn't need to hear anymore.

She could only hope she could make it up to him when this was all over.

* * *

"On my sister's grave, sir."

Jaune looked Oz right in the eye as he said it.

Yang was a good kid. She practically radiated confidence, spirit and vigor. Traits becoming of a Jaeger pilot as well as that of a remarkable woman. Had he been born a few years younger, would have won his heart a hundred times over in a second. That was the kind of person she was. A record like this would mar her image and reputation at Beacon. She didn't need this amount of scrutiny in her life. She was destined to do great things. He could feel it. And if could take a few hits for her along the way to that destiny well why wouldn't he? That was what a good teacher was for, damn it.

Ozpin returned the gaze with equal intensity. "...Very well. In light of your years of service and upstanding reputation I will overlook such a matter."

"Oh thank god-"

"Two weeks docked pay. I'd say that's more than sufficient to cover for the damages to that bar, don't you think Jaune?"

Just when he thought he was finally getting lucky.

"... Yes, sir." He agreed, reluctantly. His wallet certainly wasn't happy about it.

"Also a written apology to the owner of that bar. A lot of our pilots are locals to that establishment and I would hate for this to be a nuisance in the future."

He nodded along. He could do that. He already felt bad about wrecking Miltia's bar. She seemed like such a nice girl.

And with that Ozpin continued to work on his paperwork, as his hands continued to slide across his desk.

"...Is that all, sir?" Jaune inquired.

"Hmm? Oh yes. That will be all, Mr. Arc. You are dismissed."

Jaune looked around the room, confused at the abrupt change in atmosphere. "Um… aren't you going to give me my punishment? You know like when I was a cadet? No KP? Bathroom duties?"

"Are you a cadet, _Instructor_ Arc?"

"Uh, no." But Oz certainly had a way of making him feel like one.

"Than you heard me. Two weeks docked pay and a written apology. Or is this your way of saying you wanted more weeks docked from your pay?"

"No, no, no. Not at all." Jaune waved his hands in front in protest. "It's just… it's not like you to rip me a new one., that's all."

This time it was Ozpin's turn to smile and chuckle slightly. "My boy, I neither have the time nor the luxury of punishing one of my most invaluable staff. It's a different world out there, Jaune. And I'd rather focus that effort into ending the Grimm, not your career."

Jaune couldn't believe it. Time had soften the great and powerful Oz. Either that or lady luck hadn't abandoned him after all.

"Did you want me to send in Miss Xiao Long next?" he had to ask.

"Why? According to you she had been a most upstanding student and was trying to guide her _wayward_ teacher back to where he belonged. She should be commended not reprimanded, don't you think?" Ozpin stated without so much as a glance as he continued to write down on his paperworks.

Jaune had to smile, the image of Yang filled his thoughts. " _Life's too short to let rules and regulations control you. I like to think I'm living my life to the best that I can with the time I have left on this world._ " True they were joking around when she had said those words but, the way she said them with conviction, that was no lie.

He admired people like that. Ones who had the strength and will to shape their future as they see fit.

"She's an incredible girl...and she'll make an even better pilot."

He could have sworn he saw a hint of a smile of Ozpin's face before it disappeared into that stoic, complacent mask. "On that we can agree, ranger. Now is there anything else?"

Nothing came to mind. Except out of curiousity, Jaune just had to ask.

"Just one thing. How did you know where to find us, I mean me? It's not like I told anyone where I was going."

Ozpin's pen stopped moving. His attention turned to the young man before him. "My dear boy, I am the foremost scientific expert on Jaeger robotics and engineering as well as the leading expert in Grimm Physiology. You think something like a missing teacher of mine is going to cause me to falter?"

"Well when you put it that way…" Sometimes Jaune forgot just how smart his boss was, which was surprising considering how much Ozpin liked to throw his big brain around.

This was the second time Ozpin had to laugh in his presence. "Your scroll. It generates a unique signal. One that anyone could have traced easily through the CCT network. Well… one with clearance anyway."

"Okay… Good to know." Jaune was about to make his way through the door when Ozpin stopped him and tossed him his handkerchief.

"That cut above your eye is bleeding again. Have the nurse check it out before you meet with Glynda."

"Glynda?"

"Yes, Glynda. She could not be here because she was in the middle of a business negotiation deal with the Schnee Dust Company but I assured her you were going to get in touch with her as soon as you have seen to that wound."

"Wait? Glynda knew about this?" Jaune's stomach turned for the worse.

"Who did you think called the CCT, Jaune?" Ozpin smirked once more.

So that's why he didn't punished him. Who better than to dish out the sentence but the cold witch of Beacon? What Glynda was going to do to him, was far worse than anything Oz could have come up with.

 _You cunning son of a…_

"I'd hurry if I were you, ranger. Our miss Goodwitch can be a very patient person but even her patience has limitations."

* * *

When Jaune emerged from the office the last thing he expected was Yang's concerned face as she made her way towards him.

"So… how badly did I screw up?" she asked him earnestly. She wanted him to be honest and upfront with her.

It was difficult not to mess with her just a little.

"Oh pretty bad."

She winced at that. "That's what I thought."

"So bad that Ozpin has decided to do nothing about it and let you be on your merry way."

"I knew it was a bad idea but the guy kept hitting on- wait, what?"

Jaune couldn't help but laugh a little. "Listen, what you did was wrong but what those guys did was even worse. Just promise me something like this won't happen again and we'll be fine going from here on out."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "... you serious about this?"

"As serious as I can be."

Before long Yang took him in, into a long and tight embrace, relief and laughter emitting from her core.

He could smell the sunflower in her hair, feel the softness of her...ample chest, and finally the smoothness of her skin. For someone he had just witnessed punch the living daylights out of a man with ease, she was surprisingly soft and dainty.

It only lasted a second but he was going to cherish the memory.

"You rock, Prof!" She grinned at him.

"Instructor." he corrected once again, but this time he didn't seem to mind.

"Oh," she finally seemed to have noticed his injury. "That is one nasty looking cut. Sorry...did I open it up?"

"No, but I definitely need to get this checked out." he was just about to say his farewells to his rambunctious student when she suddenly took his hand into hers and was leading the way. "C'mon. I know a shortcut to the infirmary."

"It's okay you don't really need to-"

"I'm not having this on me. If you faint on your way to the nurse's office I'd feel so bad."

"Yang it's-" Jaune doubted that's how a cut would work but he didn't had it anymore in him to fight against the younger blonde. Once she's made up her mind there was just no force on Remnant who could stop her.

Oh well.

He could use some company before he met the reaper. A pretty blonde, lilac eyed girl was far from the worst choice.

"Okay, fine. Lead the way."

He wondered if this was what it felt like to die happy.


End file.
